Box Score Dickinson, N.D. - Volleyball continued their conference road trip with a visit to Dickinson to take on the Blue Hawks Friday night. Mayville State was able to earn a split on the road trip by defeating the Blue Hawks in four sets.

"Our plan going into tonight was to play our game, focus on what we do best and control what we can control," said head coach Katie Aasen.

Set one began with the Blue Hawks taking a quick 5-2 lead. The Comets responded by scoring the next seven points to open up a 9-5 advantage. The teams traded points for a significant part of the set, with Dickinson holding a slim 20-19 lead. Mayville State took the last five points, and a Natalie Hadrava ace sealed the set 1 win 25-20.

The Comets were firing on all cylinders in set two and took an early 6-2 lead. Mayville State later rattled off a 9-4 run to stretch the lead to 23-10 and cruised to a 25-13 victory.

"Offensively we wanted to focus on the scout and the spots we knew that were open but also just getting back to our best swings and trying not to get into a tipping war," said coach Aasen.

The Blue Hawks continued to battle and tallied the first four points of set three. The Comets regained the lead at 11-9, only to see the Blue Hawks score four straight points again. Some timely Madison McKinnon kills helped Mayville State snatch the lead back to 21-17. However, Dickinson refused to get swept on their home floor and busted out a 9-3 finish to win set three 26-24.

Neither team could gain an advantage early in set four. With the score knotted at 8, the Comets went on a decisive 11-2 run led by a pair of service aces by Emily Condon. Mayville State weathered any last-ditch efforts by the Blue Hawks and put away set four and the match at 25-16.

"Defensively we had a lot of great touches off the block and even our first contact was elevated which made it easy to have three hitters running their routes," added Aasen.

Elora Passa piled up 14 kills and 19 assists to lead the Comets in both categories. McKinnon, Samantha Passa and Nicole Kortan each chipped in eight kills apiece. Samantha Passa also racked up 19 digs to lead the team, with Hadrava close behind with 18. Condon ended with three aces and also contributed 15 digs. Thyra Peterick finished the game with five blocks.

Aasen said, "Back in the gym on Monday, we have things we need to work and and develop just like any other week. We need to keep working on our mental game and applying hard pressure at practice to try and make practice harder than games."

When talking about finally being able to play at home after a month on the road, Aasen stated, "We are so excited to be at home for the next two games. The Mayville community is like no other. The girls have earned that love and support and can't wait to compete in front of their fans on their own court. It's always a great day to be a Comet."

The win gives the Comets an overall 9-4 record, 1-1 in the NSAA. Mayville State plays their home opener on Wednesday, September 27^th against the Dakota State Trojans; first serve is 6:00pm.