BOX SCORE
PHOTO GALLERY - Greg Devereaux Photos

MARSHALL, Minn. – No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State never trailed in the match, sweeping St. Cloud State 25-13, 25-18, 25-17 on Friday night in Marshall. Junior outside hitter Brooke Burmeister led all players with 16 kills, and a season-high .452 attack percentage in the match.

SMSU improves to 14-5 on the season, including 8-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play while the Huskies fall to 5-14, 1-10 in the NSIC. The Mustangs have now won 10 consecutive matches over SCSU, including 18 of the past 20 meetings. 

Southwest Minnesota State passed efficiently in the match, allowing Cara Carson to set up the Mustang hitters for a .327 attack percentage. Carson finished the match with 38 set assists.

The Mustangs had 56 digs in the match, led by sophomore Rachel Westby who finished with 17. Brittany Wenzel came up with 14 digs, and Burmeister earned her eighth double-double of the season picking up 12 digs.

SMSU grabbed an early led in the first set after a six-point run gave SMSU a 10-2 lead over the Huskies. Burmeister sparked the Mustangs with six of her 16 kills in the first set. SMSU was able to grab a 10-point lead over the Huskies at 16-6, before taking the first set 25-13.

Another early run helped the Mustangs take an 8-2 lead in the second set. St. Cloud State put together a four-point run to come within two at 12-10. Wenzel would then serve the Mustangs to three consecutive points that included three errors by SCSU, giving the Mustangs a 17-11 advantage. Groth finished the second set with consecutive kills to give SMSU a 25-18 second set win.

After a 2-2 tie in the third set, SMSU would regain the lead, and never losing it going on to win the final set 25-17. Groth continued to put the pressure on the Huskies, with five of her 10 kills coming in the final set. SMSU had three blocks in the third set, finishing the match with seven total team blocks.

Freshman middle blocker Alyssa Taylor led the Mustangs with one solo, and three block assists in the match. She also added six kills, and two service aces in the match. Southwest Minnesota State tied a season-high with seven service aces.

Southwest Minnesota State will host No. 1 Concordia University, St. Paul on tomorrow afternoon at the PE Gym in Marshall. First serve is set for 3 p.m.