Knights take down Trojans and Hawks at Northeast Triangular
Norfolk, Neb. – Knights volleyball returned to the win column with a five-set win over North Iowa Area Community College and a four-set victory over Northeast Community College on Thursday night.
North Platte 3 North Iowa 2
Jaelyn Dicke paced the Knights with 19 kills on 44 swings, while Aubrey Grant tallied 41 assists in the match against the Trojans of North Iowa Area Community College.
Trojans took the opening two points of the set before North Platte countered to even the match on a 3-1 run. North Platte stretched the margin to 14-7 on an ace by Zoe Maher, but the Trojans would not stay down for long. North Iowa rallied to pull back within one late in the set, forcing the Knights to use a timeout. Knights returned to the floor and immediately went to Dicke to close out the opening set.
The Trojans opened a 6-1 lead early in the second set. The black and gold cut the margin to one on a 3-1 run, before the Trojans countered to stretch their lead to 18-13. An 8-1 run quickly reversed the momentum while a kill by Dicke gave the Knights a two-point advantage. North Iowa was able to put together a 5-1 run to even the match at one set apiece.
North Platte built a three-point advantage early in the third set, but a 5-0 run forced a Knights timeout. Trojans continued to add to their lead down the stretch to take a 2-1 set advantage.
A 6-1 run helped the Knights take a 10-5 lead in the fourth set. Trojans cut the deficit to 13-11, but another 5-1 run was enough to carry the Knights for the remainder of the set. A kill by Maher closed out the frame and forced a decisive fifth set.
Knights trailed by as many as four in the early moments of the fifth set. A 6-2 rally evened the set at eight, before North Platte took the lead on a kill by Dicke. The margin remained close until back-to-back kills from Maher and Dicke helped close out the match, 16-14.
North Platte 3 Northeast 1
Dicke led the way with 16 kills and 28 digs in the match against the Hawks. Nya Lual chipped in 13 kills, while Maher rounded out the Knights in double-digit kills with 12.
North Platte trailed briefly in the opening set, but a 4-0 run helped switch the momentum. The margin never stretched beyond three points for either team throughout the remainder of the set. Leading 24-23, the Knights were able to close the set out on a Hawks attacking error.
Knights never trailed in the second set as a kill by Dicke extended the lead to 16-10. Strong defense and an ace from Kylie Rose kept the offense firing on all cylinders. Northeast cut the deficit to four, but North Platte used kills from Lual, Dicke and Maher to take a two-set lead.
Hawks used a 6-1 run to pull away in the early stages of the third set. A resilient Northeast team was determined to avoid the sweep, as they responded to take the set, 25-17.
North Platte found themselves down five late in the set, but the Knights were determined to close it out in four. A 6-1 run knotted the game up at 23-23, before an ace by Trinity Beutler and a kill by Lual closed out the match.
North Platte (7-16) will return to Region IX action against Southeast Community College on Monday. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside the Lincoln Campus Gymnasium.
