Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. - Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Reiss hit .643 with 18 kills and 14 digs to lead Southwest Minnesota State University to a sweep of Upper Iowa University on Friday night from the PE Gym. SMSU won by set scores of 25-10, 25-14 and 25-16 to improve its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference record to 7-1, while the Peacocks fall to 3-5. It was SMSU's seventh straight win and fourth straight sweep. SMSU hit a season-high .424 in the win with just six attack errors.

Dating back to Sept. 23, versus U-Mary, SMSU has rattled off 15 straight set wins.

Reiss led the Mustangs attack with a match-high 18 kills, while Sarah Parker collected 10 kills. The Mustangs finished tied with a season-low six attack errors (Sept. 3, Wisconsin Parkside) but the starters did not contribute any errors to the total.

In the first set SMSU forced seven UIU attack errors and held the Peacocks to a .031 hitting percentage. The Mustangs on the other hand were very efficient recording 15 kills on 27 attacks with no hitting errors. SMSU got off to a fast start as Riess put the Mustangs up 6-2 early. Up 10-7, SMSU went on a 6-0 run to push the lead to 16-7. The Mustangs would cruise to a 25-10 set win as they closed on a 9-3 run. SMSU continues to dominate the first set – the Mustangs are outscoring the opponent 389-250 in the first frame.

Going back to the first set with the score 10-7, SMSU took 24 of the next 28 points as the Mustangs built a 9-1 lead in the second set. UIU would fend off a couple set points with the set reading 24-11, but Reiss put the set away with a kill and gave SMSU a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

UIU took its first lead of the match as Haley Weepie started the third set off with a kill. UIU would lead for the final time in the match with the scoreboard reading 7-6. SMSU would rattle off three straight capped by a block assist by Megan Larson and Sarah Parker. The Mustangs would grow the lead to eight points on one of Parker's 10 kills in the match. Parker finished 10 of 18 with no errors. SMSU would go on to take the set 25-16 and sweep the Peacocks and record its seventh straight win and fourth straight sweep.

Larson continues to dish the ball well as the junior setter assisted on 45 of the Mustangs' 48 kills.

SMSU (13-3, 7-1 NSIC) takes its seven-match winning into a home tilt vs. No. 7 Winona State tomorrow afternoon. First serve is 3 p.m. from the PE Gym.