Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn.— Second ranked Southwest Minnesota State had 54 assists and hit .370 as a team on its way to a sweep over No. 8 Wayne State on Saturday afternoon in the Gangelhoff Center to punch its ticket to the NSIC Championship match.
 
Taylor Reiss, Kaylee Burmeister, and Eisha Oden carried the Mustangs' attack for much of the afternoon as the trio combined for 43 kills on 91 attacks (.473). Reiss recorded her fifth straight double-double and 15^th of the season with 15 kills and 11 digs.

"It makes it easier for all of us by having so many options for Megan (Larson) to set," said Oden following the Mustangs' sixth straight victory. 
 
Burmeister notched her 10^th double-double on the year with 14 kills and 10 digs while hitting a career high .538 on the evening. Oden had the highest hitting percentage of the match and also set a career high, hitting .650 from her 14 kills on just 20 attacks.
 
Mustangs' primary setter, Megan Larson, also notched her ninth double-double of the season with 48 assists and 10 digs. Oden commented on Larson's role in the Mustangs success saying afterwards, "It makes us all better... having a setter that is as good as she is that can distribute the ball and locate the ball."
 
Southwest Minnesota State took control of the match quickly in the first set jumping out to a 7-3 advantage with the help of two early service aces from Amber Messner. SMSU stretched its advantage to 18-9 and following a rare hitting error from Oden, wrapped up the first set with a 7-2 run to win 25-12. The Mustangs went 10-of-12 on sideouts (83 percent) and Oden finished with six kills and one block to help SMSU get off to another strong start in the first.
 
SMSU held another 7-3 lead early in the second but a 6-2 run from Wayne State tied the set at 9-9. Wayne State had its highest sideout percentage of the match in the second (63 percent) and the set went back and forth until a kill from Burmeister gave SMSU its first set point. The Wildcats survived one rally with a kill from Alyssa Frauendorfer but Burmeister followed up with two more kills to give SMSU the 26-24 win and a two set lead in the match. Burmeister and Reiss combined for 18 kills, three total blocks, and nine digs in the second set alone. The second set was by far the closest of the match with 15 tied scores and six lead changes.
 
The Mustangs put the finishing touches on the sweep with another strong start in the third, darting out to a 6-2 advantage. Sarah Parker, Jessica Thelemann, and Oden each had four kills in the final set as the Mustangs rode a .366 hitting percentage, two service aces, and three blocks to a 25-21 victory in set three.
 
After falling to Winona State in the NSIC semifinals last year, the Mustangs now head back to the NSIC Championship match where they will face No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul for the third time this season. SMSU is 1-1 against the Golden Bears this year after the Mustangs pulled off a 22-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-18, 15-10 come from behind win back on Oct. 14.
 
The Mustangs and Golden Bears will hit the court in the championship match Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Visit smsumustangs.com to find live video and live stats of tomorrow's match.