Box Score 

FAYETTE, Iowa – No. 9 Southwest Minnesota State defeated Upper Iowa in five-sets on Friday night to extend its seven-match winning streak.
 
SMSU advanced to 20-7 and 15-4 in conference play while UIU dropped to 17-10 overall and 10-9 in conference play in the five-set Mustang victory (25-13, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19).
 
Taylor Reiss led the match with 23 kills and 23 digs while Emma Thomssen delivered 58 assists to pace the Mustangs and Kaylee Burmeister earned a career-high 34 digs on the night.
 
The first set went point-for-point after being tied at 7-7 before the Mustangs earned a 4-0 run to go up 11-8. Angela Young recorded back-to-back kills and one from Sarina Smith to give the Mustangs an advantage. The Mustangs strung together seven unanswered points to earn a 20-11 advantage as the Mustangs captured set one with a kill from Lexi Ferrell, 25-13.
 
Mustangs earn an early lead in set two with a 7-0 run to go up 14-7 and stringing together uncontested points to take set two 25-16.
 
With set three locked at 9-9, the Mustangs lost the upper hand as Upper Iowa took advantage of two Mustangs error to go down 11-9. The Peacocks maintained the lead to rally and take set three, 25-18.
 
Set four went point-for-point with a tied set at 12-12 before the Peacocks went on a 5-0 and never looked back to force a fifth set going 25-19 in set four.
 
Set five was a locked rally as the Mustangs went up 4-1 with two consecutive kills from Reiss. The Peacocks tied the set as the Mustangs committed three attack errors and a kill delivered by UIU. The set continued going back-and-forth until the Mustangs deliver two kills from Thomssen and Reiss to end the fifth set 15-13.
 
The Mustangs are ranked seventh in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings as they head into the final match of the regular season tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Winona State.