Box Score

WINONA, Minn. - Devin Diedrich, Mary Groth and Crissi Schewe combined for 40 kills and Cara Carson dished out a career-high 45 assists to lead No. 14 Southwest Minnesota State to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-20) conference victory over Winona State Friday night in Winona, Minn.

SMSU improves to 16-5 (6-3 NSIC), while WSU drops to 6-14 (4-5 NSIC).

The Mustang offensive attack was a balanced one as Diedrich finished with a match-high 15 kills, Schewe with a career-high 13 and Groth with 12.  Tory Brouwer and Brooke Burmeister each added six kills.

Carson's 45-assist performance went along with 12 digs.  Kenzie Niesche led the Mustangs with 18 digs.

SMSU never trailed in the opening set, rattling off five unanswered points late to push away for a 1-0 match advantage.

Schewe broke the Mustangs away from a 5-5 tie in the ensuing set with a service ace.  But the freshman wasn't done as she helped stabilize the SMSU lead with a pair of kills just a few points later.  The lead grew, and Schewe sent home one final smash to move her Mustangs ahead 2-0.

SMSU fended off a late WSU surge in the final set, scoring seven of the match's final 10 points to grab the victory.  Burmeister played a vital role in that last run as she recorded three kills.

SMSU's offense again put together an efficient campaign, checking in with a .276 hitting percentage on the evening.  The performance marks the sixth consecutive match the Mustangs have went over the .240 mark.  SMSU outkilled the Warriors 52-35.

The win also marks the second time this season the Mustangs have swept the Warriors. SMSU posted a 3-0 win over WSU on Sept. 29.

The Mustangs will play at Upper Iowa tomorrow at 5 p.m.