VERMILLION, S.D. – After trailing 2-1, the North Dakota State volleyball team fought its way back to bounce South Dakota, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round of the Summit League Championship on Sunday night at Sanford Coyote Sports Center in front of 1,463 fans.

With the win, the Bison improve to 18-10 (9-7 Summit) overall and advance to the semifinal round for the second straight season. Fifth-seeded NDSU will face top-seeded Kansas City tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m.

Ali Hinze paced the Bison logging her team-best 18th double-double of the season with a team-high 17 kills and 13 digs. Kelley Johnson also added a double-double with a match-best 49 assists and team-high 17 digs. Arianna Blohm contributed a match-high six blocks with nine kills to go along with a .316 hitting percentage.

After South Dakota (18-10, 12-4 Summit) jumped out to a 2-1 lead following the first three sets, NDSU fought its way through the fourth frame that featured a match-high 16 tie scores and six lead changes. The Bison were able to grab a 16-15 lead after kills from Johnson and Ally Barth at the midway point. The two teams then exchanged points to find themselves locked, 20-20. NDSU used a momentum-shifting 3-1 run to open up a 23-21 edge after a kill from Lauren Jansen. The Bison went on to hold off the Coyotes the rest of the way to secure the set, 25-23.

NDSU carried the energy into the fifth frame putting together a 4-1 run to make the score 9-5 after back-to-back kills from Alexis Boling. The Bison then began to put the match away with five straight points following two service aces in a row from Jansen. NDSU went on to win the set, 15-7, and the match, 3-2.