Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn.- Taylor Reiss and Kaylee Burmeister combined for 31 kills as No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State (15-0, 7-0 NSIC) won three tight sets in a 25-21, 25-23, 25-23 sweep over No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (13-2, 6-1 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon in the PE Gym.

Reiss led the Mustangs with 17 kills and a .500 attack percentage in the win while Burmeister had seven digs in addition to her 14 kills on the afternoon. Reiss also added three block assists and finishes the weekend with eight total blocks.

Sarina Smith also added three block assists to finish the weekend with eight as well while adding seven kills on the offensive end. Brooke Borchardt had nine kills on just 15 attacks with no errors (.600) and finished with three block assists as well.

Setter, Megan Larson, added another two block assists and finished with 41 assists.

The victory gives SMSU an 8-0 record over the AVCA Top-25 this year and stretches the Mustangs win streak to 15, tying the second longest win streak in school history.

SMSU hit .386 as a team, well above its .273 average for the season entering the weekend. 

The Mustangs started slow and trailed the first set 12-6 forcing a timeout from Head Coach, Terry Culhane. SMSU then went on a 5-1 run to cut the UMD lead to 13-11. SMSU would sideout with a kill from Burmeister to even the match at 19-19 and with Erin Corrigan serving, it went on to win the next five points to take a 23-19 lead. Corrigan had two service aces on the 6-0 run that gave the Mustangs control of the first set.

After taking the first set 25-21, the second set remained tight throughout with SMSU edging out a 22-21 lead off of a kill from Reiss. That kill started a 3-0 run that forced a UMD timeout as the Mustangs held set point at 24-21. UMD would get two points back before a Bulldogs' serve went into the net to give SMSU the 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set saw 11 total tie scores and six lead changes as both teams went back and forth early. Taylor Reiss was credited with a kill on a close call that caused another UMD timeout with the Mustangs holding serve in a 21-21 third set. SMSU won the next two points to force another timeout and Reiss and Burmeister each found another kill each to finish off the sweep.

SMSU will be back on the road next weekend as the travel to play at MSU Moorhead and Northern State.