MOSCOW, Idaho – The North Dakota State volleyball team outlasted UC Riverside, 3-1, in the season opener at the Vandal Volleyball Invitational on Friday night at Memorial Gym.

Kelley Johnson led the way for NDSU (1-0) logging a double-double with 32 assists and 15 digs. Ali Hinze added a team-high 16 kills with seven digs, while Morgan Middleton also reached double figures with 11 kills of her own. Logan O'Brien paced the Bison on the defensive side with a match-best 16 digs.

Hinze provided the energy in the opening set connecting on four kills in her first five attempts to help the Bison open up a 16-10 edge. NDSU then put together four straight points capped off by a block from Ally Barth and Alexis Boling to increase the lead to 22-15 and force a UC Riverside (0-1) timeout. The Bison went on to take the first set, 25-19.

The Highlanders pushed back in the second frame building a 9-5 edge to force a Bison timeout. NDSU retaliated with five straight points to steal the lead, 11-10, following a kill from Middleton. The Highlanders then assembled a 9-3 run to regain the advantage, 19-14. UC Riverside went on to close out the set and even the match, 25-21.

The Bison jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the third stanza following a solo block from Arianna Blohm. NDSU then stretched its lead to 17-13 after Boling added a kill. The Bison went on to hold off the Highlanders the rest of the way to win the set, 25-23.

Both teams traded points throughout the fourth frame to find themselves locked, 13-13, after a kill from Boling. NDSU was slowly able to increase its edge to 19-16 following a kill from Middleton before the Highlanders answered with three straight points of their own to lock the contest, 19-19. NDSU responded with a momentum-shifting 4-0 run to open a 23-19 advantage after Middleton added another kill. NDSU closed out the frame, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.

NDSU will wrap up play at the Vandal Volleyball Invitational tomorrow against Seattle at 12:00 p.m. CT and Idaho at 4:00 p.m. CT.