Dickinson State University volleyball head coach Dave Moody said his team has a lot of work to do.
Whether or not it helped the Blue Hawks' cause, Moody's squad made easy work of Minot State University.
DSU thumped the Beavers 3-0 Wednesday at Scott Gymnasium in both teams' Dakota Athletic Conference opener.
The Blue Hawks won 30-14, 30-21 and 30-23.
"Wins are always nice to have, but it's how you win that's important," Moody said. "We have better days ahead."
ADVERTISEMENT
A good start to the match helped DSU stay on top. The Blue Hawks got out to a 9-1 lead in the first game and never looked back. At one point, DSU was on top 29-9 before allowing the Beavers five consecutive points. An Elizabeth Castillo kill setup by a KateLynn Stiefel dish closed out the first contest. The assist was one of Stiefel's 32 on the night.
"I thought our passing game was a little more solid," Moody said. "I like that there are a lot of things we can get better at."
MSU slowly gained momentum in the following games. As the score indicated, the Beavers started to keep pace with DSU better. Nonetheless, MSU had no answer for DSU's ability to kill the ball.
Nancy Nyongesa, a junior from Bungoma, Kenya, led the DSU attack with 17 kills, four digs, two aces and two blocks.
San Pedro, Calif., native Brittany Jones had 10 kills, and Elizabeth Castillo and Elizabeth Rodriguez each had nine kills.
Every team needs someone to get the big hitters the ball and Stiefel filled that role nicely. She had premier placement throughout the night. She added five digs and an ace to her totals.
Though the Blue Hawks got the sweep, Moody wasn't pleased with his team's lack of communication and enthusiasm.
"I don't know if we were as spirited (as usual)," Moody said. "It was a little too quiet. I thought we were a little bit like sleepwalking," Moody said. "There wasn't a lot there to hang your hat (on)."
ADVERTISEMENT
When a team gains a big lead and is almost certain to win, it tends to coast. Coaches do their best to stop this from happening, but even Moody said it can be inevitable.
"It's only human nature to tend to relax," Moody said. "It's part of the dynamics of the game."
For MSU, anything good happened too late to help.
The Beavers fell behind in the first two games. After taking a 4-0 lead to start the third, DSU outscored the Beavers 4-1 in the next five points and never relinquished the lead, despite being tied at several points.
Freshman Kelsey Aide, a native of Bottineau, led her team in digs with 11.
Dickinson State (1-0 DAC, 7-2 overall) will travel to Lamoni, Iowa, for the Graceland Tournament Saturday.
Minot State (0-1, 4-5) will travel to Jamestown College Sept. 15.
