GREELEY, Colorado – The Utah Valley State volleyball team survived in five games against North Dakota State Thursday in the first game of the Division I Independent Championship. The Wolverines won, 30-25, 30-20, 28-30, 24-30, 15-9.

"We found a way to get it done in the end," said head coach Sam Atoa. "We didn't hit the ball very well, but it's always good to get a victory."

The Wolverines only hit .171 for the match, and were out-blocked 15-10, but came on strong in the deciding set to secure the win.

"The fifth game was the difference," said Atoa. "We made some adjustments and hit the ball better."

UV hit .278 in the fifth set and forced the Bison into a negative hitting percentage of -.125.

Camie Manwill continued to be strong on offense for the Wolverines finishing with a match-high 16 kills to go along with nine digs. Jessica Endres was the only other spiker in double digit kills with 10.

Kim Hebl led the Bison offense with 14 kills.

With the win Utah Valley State improves to 14-11 on the season, and NDSU falls to 2-30. UV also improves to 3-0 on the year over the Bison.

The Wolverines will rest and prepare for a doubleheader on Friday. UV takes on South Dakota State at 1:00 pm (MST), and Providence at 4:00 pm (MST). Listen to a live internet broadcast of the SDSU match click HERE.