Box Score

MARSHALL, Minn. – No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State took down No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul on Friday night in the PE Gym, the Mustangs' second consecutive victory over a No. 1 ranked team. SMSU defeated then ranked No. 1 Northern State last Saturday at home. 
 
SMSU advances to 18-7 overall with a 13-4 record in the NSIC while CSP moves to 21-5 overall and 15-2 in the NSIC. The last time SMSU defeated CSP at home was a four-set victory on Sept. 28, 2010.
 
Taylor Reiss led the match with 32 kills to surpass her 2,000^th career kill accolade and Angela Young added 11 kills to contribute to the Mustangs team .356 hitting percentage. Kaylee Burmeister led the Mustangs defense with 15 digs, as the Mustangs extend their five-match winning streak.
 
The Mustangs trailed 13-9 in set one as the Golden Bears took advantage of seven Mustang errors to take set one, 25-18. The Golden Bears recorded a .333 hitting percentage over the Mustangs' .265.
 
The Mustangs earned their largest lead in set two to go up 11-8 as Sarina Smith sparked a 3-0 run, followed by two consecutive kills from Reiss. The Mustangs never looked back to take set two 25-19.
 
The Mustangs dominated the third set with a 5-0 run to earn a 15-9, followed by a 7-0 run to advance their lead to 22-10. The Golden Bears attempted to close in on the Mustangs with a 4-0 run to make the score 22-14. Reiss ended the set earning the final three points.
 
The Mustangs opened set four looking to avenge the Golden Bears after falling in the last two meetings this season. SMSU opened the set with a 6-2 lead before CSP called a timeout. The Mustangs offensive closed the match with a .433 team hitting percentage to earn the victory. With the Mustangs set at match point, the Golden Bears went for a 4-0 run to bring the score to 24-18. Reiss clinched the victory for the Mustangs with a kill to earn the four-set victory.
 
CSP was ranked No. 1 in the first of three NCAA DII regional rankings released on Wednesday while the Mustangs were ranked No. 6.
 
Southwest Minnesota State (17-7, 13-4) take on Minnesota State tomorrow in the PE Gym for parents' day to close the regular season home play.