BOX SCORE

GOLDEN, Colo. - No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State moved to 3-0 on the season with a sweep over Mesa State (Colo.) on Saturday afternoon at the Colorado School of Mines Classic in Golden, Colo.

SMSU won by scores of 25-19, 25-20 and 25-18.  

SMSU improves to 3-0 on the season while Mesa State falls to 2-1. Included in its match winning streak, SMSU also extended its set winning streak to four. The Mustangs are now 3-2 all-time against Mesa State, and 3-0 with Terry Culhane as head coach versus Mesa State.

Mary Groth played a key role for the Mustangs notching 11 kills. The sophomore was swinging hard dropping the ball in for five kills in the first and second sets. She ended the match with a .375 hitting percentage.

SMSU's blocking game was effective this afternoon. The Mustangs ended the match with nine team blocks. Groth was getting up and over the net assisting on four blocks. While six other Mustangs got in on the blocking game assisting one another at the net.

The Mustangs started today's match out with strong team defense. SMSU started its scoring on a big block assist by Devin Diedrich and Abby Meyers to go up 1-0. The Mustangs came up with four of the next five points to take a 5-2 lead with another block assist by Rachel Westby and Groth. SMSU out-blocked Mesa State three to none in the first set.

SMSU hit efficiently in the second set, The Mustangs were 18 of 35 for .371 percent as a team in the second stanza. Diedrich finished the match with 11 kills in 22 attempts, while hitting at .409 percent. Freshmen Rachel Westby and Meyers both got in on the offensive attack today. The duo accounted for 11 of SMSU's 47 kills.

Westby became a key contributor to the Mustang defense today as well. The freshman piled up 14 digs and passed the ball efficiently. Cara Carson handed out 39 assists in today's match and was setting up her hitters with clear lanes. Carson also contributed a sneaky kill. She went up as if to set the ball to one of her hitters and snuck the ball into Mesa State territory for a kill.

The Mustangs came into the third set with a lot of energy, starting out with a 9-5 lead. With the Mustangs up 17-10, Meyers came up with a devastating solo block that fired up the Mustangs towards its 25-18 third set victory.

With key blocks being the name of the game for SMSU this afternoon, the Mustangs eventually went on to win the third set on a block assist by Diedrich and Westby.

SMSU continues play in the CSM Classic this evening when they take on host Colorado School of Mines at 7:30 p.m. CDT. The Mustangs carry a three-match, and four-set winning streak into tonight's match-up against its third Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe.