Minnesota Crookston volleyball closed out its regular season on Saturday afternoon, falling in straight sets to Northern State on senior day at home with scores of 22-25, 21-25, and 14-25.
The Golden Eagles fought hard through the opening two frames before slipping in the third, finishing the campaign with a 3-25 record.
The visiting Wolves opened the first set with a fast 5-0 run. Minnesota Crookston responded when Carizma Muth, a senior outside hitter from Randolph, Wisconsin, put down a kill, followed by a block from Lexi Scharold, a junior middle hitter from Alexandria, Kentucky.
Northern State pushed its lead to 14-10, but Adrienne Venditto, a sophomore defensive specialist from Bovey, Minnesota, sparked a 4-0 service run to tie the score at 14-14. Later in the set, the Wolves built a 22-18 advantage before Madison Carsten, a senior outside hitter from Wadena, Minnesota, registered a kill to narrow the gap to 23-21, though the hosts ultimately dropped the set by three points.
Set two saw a momentum shift as the Golden Eagles raced to a 5-2 start, prompting a timeout from the Northern State bench. The frame saw three subsequent ties before the Wolves claimed a 13-10 lead.
Back-to-back kills from Carsten brought the score to 14-13, and Emma Malek, a senior middle hitter from Plainfield, Illinois, added another kill to put Minnesota Crookston ahead 15-14. Muth later pulled the Golden Eagles within two at 22-20, but Northern State closed out the set on a four-point run.
The Wolves seized control early in the third set. Venditto recorded her first ace of the match to make it 6-3, but Northern State stretched its margin to 20-11. Although the Golden Eagles managed to cut the deficit to seven points down the stretch, the Wolves completed the sweep.
Playing in their final collegiate match, the team’s departing seniors delivered strong individual performances. Carsten led the attack with 11 kills, while Muth and Malek contributed eight and six kills, respectively. Scharold matched Muth with eight kills as the Golden Eagles finished the match hitting .191.
Following the final point, the program honored its six graduating seniors: Carsten, Muth, Malek, Kailee Waasdorp, a senior defensive specialist from West Fargo, North Dakota; Megan Schoenfelder, a senior middle hitter from Zumbrota, Minnesota; and Penelope Vertin, a senior middle hitter from Wayzata, Minnesota.
