HAYS, Kan.- SMSU was too much for Black Hills State in the Mustangs' 25-15, 25-21, 25-12 victory to start their Friday 1-0 at the Fort Hays State Classic
 
Meg Schmidt led the Mustangs, accumulating 12 kills, five digs, and hitting a stellar .733%, while Angela Young added 11 kills and four digs, and Rachel Fink tallied six aces and 11 digs. 
 
SMSU picked up where they left off last weekend in the first set, cruising to a 25-15 victory. The Mustangs were led by a dominant attack, hitting .484% compared to the Yellow Jackets .207%. SMSU picked up 17 kills en route to victory.
 
The second set proved to be a test for the Mustangs, who battled back and forth before closing out a 25-21 win. The Mustangs rattled off six consecutive points to cap off the set. The SMSU block party closed it out, with Alisa Bengen and Young each recording a block in the final two points. 
 
The Mustangs came out in flames to start the third period, scoring the first nine points, eventually growing the lead to 15-4 and didn't see their lead fall under nine points the rest of the way. SMSU was led by the strength of hitting .434% compared to BHSU's .095%
 
The freshmen helped navigate the Mustangs, with Emma VanHeel picking up nine kills and three blocks, and Katelyn Nichols adding five kills and a block of her own.  
 
SMSU begin 5-0 for the fifth time in the Terry Culhane era, and first time since 2017, and have also won 15 straight sets for the first time since 2017. The Mustangs will look to keep it rolling at 1:30 p.m. when they take on Fort Hays State