Box Score
FAYETTE, Iowa- No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State (20-1, 12-1 NSIC) rebounded from a second straight first set loss and won the next three as SMSU defeated Upper Iowa (17-5, 8-5 NSIC), 19-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 on Saturday afternoon in the Dorman Gymnasium.

Kaylee Burmeister led the Mustangs with 16 kills in addition to 12 digs while Taylor Reiss followed up a big match on Friday night with 15 kills and 20 digs against the Peacocks. 

Dani Potter had another19 digs, tying her season high which she set on Friday night Winona State.

The Mustangs had 10 total blocks as a team, the seventh time this season SMSU has reached double digits in blocks. SMSU middle blockers, Sarina Smith and Brooke Borchardt, each had two block assists as Borchardt also added five solo blocks in addition to nine kills. Smith finished the match with one solo block on top of eight kills.

Megan Larson finished the match with 45 assists and 13 digs, becoming the first SMSU player to surpass 5,000 career assists in the process.

SMSU was held to a season low .165 hitting percentage but held Upper Iowa to just .056 hitting on the afternoon. Upper Iowa tied SMSU with 12 kills in the first set but was held to single digit kills in the second, third and fourth sets.

The Mustangs entered the weekend having dropped just one opening set through their first 19 matches, but for a second day in a row, SMSU fell behind 1-0 against UIU.

SMSU found itself behind 13-12 off of a 3-0 run from Upper Iowa in the second set before the Mustangs reeled off seven straight points to take a 19-13 lead. UIU would get back to within two points at 19-17 to force a Mustangs' timeout before SMSU went on a 6-1 run to win the set 25-18.

The Mustangs jumped ahead early and led by as many as 12 in a dominant third set that SMSU led the entire way en route to a 25-15 win to go ahead 2-1 in the match. Borchardt would help SMSU dominate the third game as she racked up five kills, two solo blocks and one block assist in the third set alone. UIU was held to a -.115 attack percentage in the third game as SMSU took control of the match.

Kaylee Burmeister added six of her kills in the fourth set and Borchardt added another solo block as SMSU cruised to a 25-19 win in the fourth set to finish off the Mustangs' fourth straight NSIC win. SMSU Head Coach, Terry Culhane, called a timeout with the fourth set tied at 10-10 which was the precursor to a 14-6 run from SMSU to set up match point. UIU would fend off the first three match points but Sarina Smith grabbed a kill out of another timeout from the Mustangs' bench to end the match.

Southwest Minnesota State will be back at home next weekend as it hosts Minnesota State on Friday night in the Mustangs' annual "Red Out" match before hosting No. 3 Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday afternoon.