The Minot State volleyball team returned home from Alaska to host a tournament of its own, and opened the event by winning its first match of the season, defeating Montana State-Billings, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, on Thursday, Sept. 11, at the MSU Dome as part of the Homecoming Classic.

Caton Pearcy led the Beavers offense with 11 kills, with Emily Willis adding 10 and Mia Thompson with eight.

MSU led wire-to-wire in the opening set, building leads as large as eight points at 16-8 and 18-10. MS-B closed to within 24-20, but Paulina Kowalska ended the opening set with one of her seven kills of the match.

The Beavers would have to rally in the second set, trailing throughout most of it before using a 5-0 run late to grab a 21-17 lead over the Yellowjackets. A pair of kills from Pearcy and another from Kowalska, as well as a block assist from Pearcy and Mia Thompson helped fuel the run. MS-B battled back to square the set at 23, but an attack error by the Yellowjackets set up set point and MSU finished off the set on the following point with a kill by Willis.

The Yellowjackets never trailed in the third to extend the match, but MSU avoided needing a fifth-set tiebreaker by ending the match in the fourth. The Beavers led the set by as many as six and had set point at 24-19. The Yellowjackets staved off defeat three times, but Thompson’s 10th kill ended the match and put the Beavers into the win column.

The Beavers ended the night with a five-set loss to Manitoba, 24-26, 25-22, 25-21, 18-25, 15-12, and began the second day of the tournament with a straight-set defeat at the hands of Black Hills State (S.D.), 25-23, 25-14, 25-17. MSU has one final match remaining against Brandon University (Manitoba) before opening up conference play on Friday, Sept. 19, at St. Cloud State at 6 p.m.