BOX SCORE

DULUTH, Minn.— The second ranked Southwest Minnesota State women's volleyball team saw its 14 match win streak come to an end after falling on the road in three close sets to No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, 25-22, 25-23, 29-27.
 
SMSU kept each set close but were unable to recover from its second lowest hitting percentage on the season (.239) in the Mustangs' first loss in three sets this year.
 
Taylor Reiss had 14 kills and nine digs, Eisha Oden added 12 kills, and Kaylee Burmeister added another 11, but the Mustangs suffered from 18 attack errors while Minnesota Duluth had 10 total team blocks and four service aces. Setter, Megan Larson, had 38 assists and added three kills with four digs while Amber Messner led the Mustangs with 12 digs.
 
UMD hit .303 in the first set and the Mustangs had eight attack errors to start the match as UMD led the whole way to win the opening set 25-22.
 
The second set was tightly contested from start to finish and SMSU held a 7-5 lead early, but a 14-7 run from the Bulldogs gave UMD a 19-14 lead which they would hold onto as UMD won set two 25-23. Reiss and Burmeister each had five kills in the second set as the Mustangs kept set two close with a .273 hitting percentage in the second.
 
SMSU were able to go on a 5-0 run to go up 21-19 in the third set and later withstood four separate match points from UMD but were unable to control an attack by Makenzie Morgen that ended the match with a 29-27 score in the final set.
 
Despite the loss, the Mustangs (20-4, 14-2 NSIC) are still tied for first atop the NSIC standings with Minnesota Duluth (22-2, 14-2 NSIC) and Concordia-St. Paul (22-2, 14-2 NSIC). It is the second loss of the year for SMSU against a top ranked opponent but the Mustangs still hold a winning record (7-4) against the nation's top 25.
 
Southwest Minnesota State will now continue a string of road matches next weekend as they visit Northern State Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a trip to MSU Moorhead next Saturday at 4 p.m.