Volleyball Drops Heartbreaker to Minnesota State-Moorhead in Season Opener

Golden, Colo.: The Regis Ranger volleyball team opened their season at the Oredigger Classic today.  The first matchup against Minnesota State-Moorhead went five games, but the Rangers were unable to escape falling 17-15 in the final frame.

The Rangers couldn't find any rhythm early as they hit -.024 in the first set but only lost 25-20.  They came back in the second set and put away the Dragons early in cruising to a 25-15 victory.  The see-saw battle continued in the third set with MSU-Moorhead winning 25-19.  The Rangers then responded with a 25-22 victory in the fourth set.

The Rangers trailed 14-11 in the fifth set before reeling off three straight points to tie the score at 14.  The score was tied at 15 again before Moorhead's Meredith Egeland put the match away with two straight kills.

Regis now plays at 5:30 p.m. against #15 Southwest Minnesota State.

Senior outside hitter Jessica Howe led the Rangers with 13 kills, while fellow senior Erin Anderson had eight.  Senior Kerry Grady and freshman Christy Henzgen each chipped in with seven kills, with Henzgen leading the way with 45 attempts.

The Rangers mustered just a .136 hitting average but limited MSUM to a .176 attack percentage.  Regis recorded 10 aces on the game and 13 total blocks compared to five and eight for the Dragons.

Freshman Sage Martinson had a nice beginning to her Ranger career with 16 digs and three service aces.  Sophomore Jordan Hughes and Henzgen each contributed 12.  Senior Devin Eckhardt led the way with 35 set assists.

Click here for boxscore.