DENVER, Colo. – Isabella Slade had 21 kills and hit .417 to lead No. 4-seed Omaha to a 3-1 win (25-18, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17) over No. 5 North Dakota State in a Summit League tournament quarterfinal match played Friday, Nov. 22, before 311 spectators in Hamilton Gymnasium. Omaha advances to play top seed South Dakota at 4 p.m. CT Saturday in the semifinals.
Â
The Bison (13-16) battled back after dropping the first set to take the second. NDSU didn't let balls drop to the court and was sparked by the defense from players like
Abbi Klos,
Kelley Johnson,
Kaylee Hanger,
Kalli Hegerle,
Alexis Bachmeier,
Bella Lien and
Ava Schmoll.
Â
That scrappy defense led to offense and an outburst from freshman
Syra Tanchin, who whacked 17 kills and matched her season-high for the third straight match.
Emily Halverson followed with 12 kills.Â
Allie Mauch, Lien and Halverson each had three blocks, while Hanger claimed a match-high 15 digs. Johnson and Hegerle combined for 37 assists.
Â
However, Omaha caught fire in the middle of the third set and didn't miss a beat behind Slade and company. Sadie Limback followed with 16 kills and Anna Blaschko added 11. Sami Clarkson handed out 55 assists as the Mavericks hit .357 and .375 over the last two sets. Claire Mountjoy had 10 digs.
Â
