Ryan Ladika/MDN Majettes sophomore Zoe Zarr earns a kill in the first set of Minot High’s Tuesday night matchup against Bismarck High.

Mired in the midst of a challenging portion of their Western Dakota Association schedule, the Minot High Majettes volleyball squad is still searching for answers following its three-set defeat to the Bismarck Demons Tuesday night, 13-25, 16-25, 15-25.

Entering their Tuesday matchup, Minot (3-10 WDA, 8-18 overall) had only just snapped a nine-game losing streak, including a pair of matches that counted double in the WDA standings.

Victories over Grand Forks Red River, Legacy and Valley City in the weekend Scheels Tournament in Fargo staved off their struggles for a few days, but a date with the second-place Demons (11-1, 21-4) proved too tall an order for the Majettes at the Magic City Campus Tuesday evening.

Bismarck began the evening in dominant fashion, opening up a 7-0 lead in the first set. Mariah Evenson was finally able to record a kill to put a brief halt to the Demons’ run, but Bismarck continued on its warpath. The Demons rattled off 11 more points that were only answered by three from the Majettes, including contributions from Evenson and Micah Walter, and Minot found itself behind 18-4.

A handful of Bismarck miscues and a pair of kills from Zoe Zarr helped kickstart the Majettes’ offense a bit, but their early deficit was too much to overcome in a 25-13 loss in the first set.

A kill by Evenson and a Grace Rood ace helped ignite Minot offensively a bit quicker in the middle frame, and after a block and a net violation, the Majettes trailed by just two at 7-5. Mikkail Nehring then found the scoresheet for the first time, and Minot continued to keep things close despite still being behind 15-11.

The Demons took command of the second set with a 5-1 run, and a trio of Nehring points and another kill by Walter were not enough to salvage the frame.

Minot was finally able to snag its first lead of the match early in the final frame, after a net violation and kills from Evenson and Walter helped give the Majettes a 5-3 lead.

The Majettes benefitted from another Demons miscue to later tie things up at six points apiece, but an 8-1 Bismarck stretch again gave the visitors control the affairs. Cambry Franstvog would record an ace down the stretch for Minot, but Bismarck held on to clinch the set, by a 25-15 score, as well as the match.

With the loss, Minot has now dropped 11 of its last 15 matches on the heels of its 3-0 win over Turtle Mountain Community High School Sept. 21. The Majettes will look to find their way back into the win column Thursday evening against the Bravettes at 6 p.m.