The Williston High volleyball team fought back from an early deficit and almost forced a fifth game at their state tournament opener on Thursday in Minot, but the Coyotes lost 3-1 to East region runners-up Fargo South.

Fargo South won the match 25-20, 25-13, 23-25, 25-23.

Ashley Slade led Williston with 11 kills and also had 19 digs, and Jackie Lee and Laura Maleckar had eight kills each. Jaden Lynch had 23 assists, and Taylor Owan led the team with 25 digs.

The Bruins' front row, including Siri Burck and Meghan Roehrich, gave the Coyotes' troubles in the early going. Williston fell behind 12-3 in the first game and were blown away quickly in the second game.

"I think we let up and didn't play our game the first two games," said Williston coach Becca Waitman. "We started to pick it up a little bit after that, but we just couldn't get it finished." The Coyotes found their game in the third. Trailing 17-11, Lee and Maleckar each found the floor with quick pushes that fell between the Fargo South front and back rows. Those two plays sparked a rally that saw the Coyotes tied the win 10 of the next 12 points. They fell back behind 23-22, but Danielle Clark and Owan each had kills as Williston won the final three points and the game.

In the fourth game, pulled ahead to a 21-18 lead and looked poised to force a fifth game, but the Bruins found a run at the right time and finished off the match.

"When it was going well, we were passing the ball," Waitman said. "We were getting up decent passes to the setter, and the setter was nailing her sets. That was our main goal. (When it wasn't going well) we just couldn't get three passes for the life of us. We were tentative, we played real tentative at the net. We didn't know if we should sweep it, tip it or pound it."

The Coyotes continue on in the consolation bracket, beginning with a match against Devils Lake at noon today.

"We're looking for a win tomorrow, and come out fifth," Waitman said. "We've got to play hard. We've got to want it. We've got to not play tentative and get all these creepy, crawly feelings out, the jitters out."

Thursday’s matches

Fargo South 3, Williston 1

South 25 25 23 25

Williston 20 13 25 23

South stats

Kills - Siri Burck 12, Meghan Roehrich 9, Kara Simonson 9, Abby Carlson 7, Laurel Striegel 5, Raquel Wellentin 2, Jillian Bethke 1; Assists - Haley Boisjolie 25, Bethke 7, Allison Fisher 3, Wellentin 2; Aces - Burck 5, Boisjolie 3, Striegel 3, Roehrich 2, Bethke 1, Carlson 1; Blocks - Burck 4, Roehrich 3; Digs - Fisher 17, Burck 14, Bethke 11, Striegel 9, Boisjolie 8, Carlson 6.

Williston stats

Kills - Ashley Slade 11, Jaclyn Lee 8, Laura Maleckar 8, Taylor Owan 6, Jaden Lynch 4, Danielle Clarke 4, Cassandra Thomas 2; Assists - Lynch 23, Clarke 5, Maleckar 4; Aces - Maleckar 2, Kourtney Sundby 2, Owan 1, Clark 1, Lynch 1; Blocks - Lee 1, Slade 1, Owan 1, Maleckar 1; Digs - Owan 25, Slade 19, Thomas 19, Maleckar 13, Clarke 10, Lee 8.

Bismarck Century 3, Devils Lake 0

Devils Lake 21 22 16

Century 25 25 25

DL stats

Kills - Mackenzie Wade 14, Steph Mertens 11, Maren Rygh 6, Taylor Wade 4, Ashley Sebelius 3, Kasi Eisenzimmer 1; Assists - Eisenzimmer 33; Aces - Mertens 1; Blocks - Wade 1, Mertens 1, Sebelius 1, Rygh 1; Digs - Autumn Wang 9, M. Wade 9, Mertens 8, Eisenzimmer 6, Sebelius 4.

Century stats

Kills - Carli Peterson 12, Alexis Jacobs 12, Madi Buck 11, Markie Henry 2, Danielle Weisz 1; Assists - Tyler Loraas 27; Aces - Jacbos 8, Erik Jossart 2; Blocks - Henry 2, Buck 1, Peterson 1; Digs - Jossart 14, Peterson 10, Jacobs 6, Buck 4.

Grand Forks Red River 3, Dickinson 1

Dickinson 25 11 15 14

GFRR 22 25 25 25

Dickinson stats

Kills - Madison Deibert 8, Jessica Herauf 7, Ashley Jahner 3, Kara Froelich 2, Leslie Beaudoin 2, Kate Hewson 1; Assists - Froelich 21; Aces - Herauf 2, Jahner 1; Blocks - Hewson 3, Deibert 2, Froelich 1, Herauf 1, McKenzie Kinzel 1; Digs - Justine Braunagel 16, Deibert 12, Herauf 12, Kinzel 4, Froelich 4, Hewson 3, Molly Miller 2.

GFRR stats

Kills - Emily Asche 14, Jordyn Steffan 11, Emily Evers 11, Kathrine Ronkowski 6, Annika Strand 6, Kai Bollingberg 2, Amanda Christian 1; Assists - Megan Stoley 22, Christian 18 , Bollingberg 5, Evers 3; Aces - Alexa Bateman 1, Asche 1, Strand 1; Blocks - Evers 4, Asche 3, Ronkowski 2, Steffan 2, Strand 1; Digs - Alexa Bateman 18, Steffan 10, Stoley 7, Strand 6, Christian 2, Bollingberg 2, Evers 2.

Fargo North 3, Bismarck High 0

North 25 27 25

Bismarck 23 25 20

North stats

Kills - Angela Waller 19, Kira Larson 5, Keli Johnson 4, Maren McGurran 4, Kristina Rindy 3, Kristin Cochran 2, Mia Lopez 2; Assists - Cochran 15, Johnson 10, Lopez 4, Rindy 3; Aces - Jordan Daly 2, Hope Marty 1, Johnson 1; Blocks - Larson 4, Rindy 1, Johnson 1, McGurran 1; Digs - Marty 14, Waller 8, Johnson 6, Daly 5, Cochran 4, Larson 4, Rindy 3, McGurran 3.

Bismarck stats

Kills - Kasara Rudolph 8, Josette Glatt 7, Anna Hruby 7, Annie Assel 7, Twila Moser 5, Katie Weigel 5, Emilee Vetter 2, Kelsey Schafer 1; Assists - Rudolph 28, Vetter 5, Assel 3, Eden Schmidt 2; Aces - Assel 3, Vetter 2, Weigel 1; Blocks - Moser 2, Assel 1, Hruby 1; Digs - Vetter 24, Schmidt 13, Hruby 13, Assel 12, Rudolph 11.