Box Score

ST. PAUL -The No. 3 seeded Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team fell to No. 7 seed Wayne State College, 3-1 in the semifinal round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament in the Gangelhoff Center on Friday night. The Mustangs lost by scores of 17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22.

SMSU finished its season 26-6 overall to record its 16th, 25-plus wins in a season and the 12th under the direction of head coach Terry Culhane. The Mustangs are now 14-13 in its 12 NCAA tournament appearances. The loss was the second time this season that SMSU was defeated by WSC. SMSU's six losses all came from nationally ranked teams.

SMSU's offense-that finished hitting .195-was led by Taylor Reiss as she led all scorers with 19 kills and finished hitting at a team-high .357 clip. Sarah Parker added 15 kills, while Abbey Thissen floored 13. Megan Larson dished out 49 assists and added to the defense with double-digit digs for her 13th double double.

The Mustang defense held the Wildcats to a .137 mark and recorded three different players with double-digit digs. Whitney Burmeister set a season high 24 digs in the loss, while Larson and Kenzie Beekman tallied 17 and 16, respectfully. Reiss handled the net for the Mustangs putting up five blocks, with Parker adding four.

The match was the last for Mustang seniors: Whitney Burmeister, Claire Sames, Emilee Gutzmer, Madi Lacey and Abbey Thissen.

Set-by-set recap
SMSU dominated in the first frame as they finished hitting at a match-high .475 and committed just two attack errors, while holding Wayne State to a .186 mark. The Mustangs started on a 6-1 run to take an early lead and led the rest of the set. The Wildcats cut the lead to one at 13-12 but would not gain control as the Mustangs scored the next three points to hold a comfortable lead down the stretch. SMSU seized the first set, 25-17.

In set two, the Mustangs gain control early and kept it through the beginning of the set. WSC knotted the set up at 11-11 and went on to gained control the rest of the set. The Wildcats hit .195 in the frame and held the Mustangs to a .184 percentage.

The Wildcats controlled the third set right away, jumping out to a 10-1 lead. The Mustangs would fight back and cut the lead to 17-12. The Mustangs didn't stop there as they went on to lead 22-21 in the set. But WSC finished the set on a 4-0 run to take the set, 25-22. Southwest Minnesota State hit .070, while Wayne State hit .020.

In the fourth set, both teams fought for the lead, as there were match-high five ties and two lead changes. The Mustangs took the lead and built a 17-8 lead, but the Wildcats would not give up. WSC charged back to trail 21-17 late and went on an 8-1 run to steal the set, 25-22.