KENOSHA, WIS. — Wisconsin-Parkside volleyball showed its toughness on Saturday, grinding out a pair of five-set victories over Bemidji State and Missouri S&T at De Simone Arena. With the wins, the Rangers improved to 7-0 on the season — their best start since joining NCAA Division II in 1992.

Rangers vs Bemidji State: 
Parkside opened the day with a 3-2 win over Bemidji State (26-24, 19-25, 25-13, 17-25, 15-10) in a rollercoaster contest.

Parkside opened the day with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Bemidji State (26-24, 19-25, 25-13, 17-25, 15-10) in a rollercoaster battle. In the opening set, the Rangers hit .300 and fought off two set points before closing on a 3-0 run, stealing the frame 26-24 behind clutch swings from Ava Irvin and a set-clinching service ace from Marisa Lootens. The Beavers answered in the second with a balanced attack to even the match 25-19, but Parkside dominated the third, hitting .333 as a team and cruising to a 25-13 win behind tough serving from Maia Olson, who fired four aces in the set alone. Bemidji regrouped in the fourth, pulling away late for a 25-17 win to force a decisive fifth. With the match on the line, Parkside broke a 9-9 tie with a 6-1 finishing run, highlighted by a block from Ava Irvin and Mariena Coon that made it 14-9 before sealing the victory 15-10. The Rangers hit .227 in the final frame to close out the match. 

Irvin led all attackers with 20 kills, while Olson chipped in eight kills, five blocks, and five aces overall. Lucy Russ directed the offense with 41 assists, and libero Natalie Harris collected 16 digs to anchor the defense. 

Rangers vs Missouri S & T: 
In the evening, Parkside capped off the day with a thrilling five-set victory over Missouri S&T (20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 29-27, 16-14).

The Miners came out strong in the opener, hitting .324 to take a 25-20 win, but the Rangers answered in the second as Sam Fisch and Ava Irvin led a late push while Marisa Lootens fired two service aces to help secure a 25-22 decision. Missouri S&T regained momentum in the third, edging Parkside 25-21 to move back in front, but the fourth set proved to be the turning point. Fisch came out on fire with four straight kills to score Parkside's first four points, setting the tone for the frame. Later, facing four Miner match points, the Rangers battled back and forced extra points, eventually prevailing 29-27 on a set-winning kill from Ava Irvin. With the match on the line, Parkside delivered once again in the decisive fifth, trading points in a tense frame before Irvin slammed home the match-winning kill to secure a 16-14 nail-biter and extend the Rangers' unbeaten start to seven straight wins. With the match on the line, Parkside delivered once again in the decisive fifth, trading points in a tense frame before Irvin and Monica Lukasiewicz sealed the victory with a match-winning block, closing out a 16-14 nail-biter and extending the Rangers' unbeaten start to seven straight wins.

Libero Natalie Harris anchored the back row in historic fashion, recording a career-high 34 digs to lead the Rangers' defensive effort. On the offensive side, Sam Fisch delivered one of her best performances of the season with 26b kills on a .322 hitting percentage, while setter Lucy Russ guided the attack with a stellardouble-double of 55 assists and 17 digs. Ava Irvin joined in with a double-double of her own, tallying 16 kills and 12 digs, keeping the offense balanced throughout the night.
 
The Rangers now turn their attention to conference play, opening GLIAC action on Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. in De Simone Arena.

For all things Parkside Volleyball and links to live coverage, please visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.