Box Score Bismarck, ND – Forced to play shorthanded with their main offensive force missing, the University of Mary volleyball team struggled to find a groove in a home loss to Northern State University. The Wolves swept the Marauders 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-11) in the Northern Sun opener for both teams.
 
Coming off two straight wins last weekend and three in five games, the Marauders (3-5 overall, 0-1 NSIC) struggled offensively in their 2013 home opener, hitting just .013 for the night. Meanwhile the Wolves (8-0, 1-0) hit .343 as a team.
 
Part of the Marauders offensive struggles was the absence of Alexis "AJ" Jacobs. U-Mary's leading hitter with 2.88 kills per set, the freshman outside hitter missed the match due to personal reasons. Second on the team in digs, U-Mary also missed the Bismarck, ND, native in transition as well.
 
A fairly even battle early, the Wolves closed out the first set on an 11-3 run. Northern State took an early lead in the second match and used an 8-0 run to claim an insurmountable lead in the third set.
 
Lauren Boldt led the Marauders with seven kills, followed by Morgan Dake with six. Janell Finkbeiner paced the squad with 13 assists and Alex Brown had eight digs.
 
Kelsey Chambers led all players with 10 kills and nine digs for Northern State. Drew Smith added 29 assists and eight digs.
 
The Marauders begin a four game road trip when they play at MSU Moorhead on Saturday, Sept. 21.
 
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