SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The No. 13-ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (6-0) closed day one of the Drury/Southwest Baptist Classic with a 25-13, 25-19, 25-22 victory against host Drury (1-5) on Friday afternoon on the campus of Drury University.
 
The win moves head coach Tyler Boddy into a tie for most consecutive wins to begin their Mustang coaching career, tying Terry Culhane at six wins. 
 
Halle Jansen tied a career-high with 16 kills, including eight kills in the first set, to lead the team offensively. Saari Kuehl added 11 kills and two blocks. Karli Arkell had five blocks to go with eight kills, while Emma VanHeel had four blocks with nine kills. Natalee Rolbiecki and McKenzie Tolk lifted the back line with 11 digs apiece. Alisa Bengen had another solid match distributing for the offense, picking up 41 assists.
 
After the first six points of the match were split between the two teams, the Mustangs raced out in front, scoring nine straight points and 12 of 14 points to jump to a 15-5 lead. The early push would be enough to cruise to a win, as they would also score the final four points of the set to win handily. 
 
The second set saw more parity, with Drury taking a 13-11 lead at the midpoint. SMSU dug in, scoring 10 of 12 points to take a 21-15 lead and traded points to close the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead. 
 
Drury battled through the third set, trailing for just one of the first 32 points and held a 17-15 lead. Kuehl and VanHeel sparked a Mustang rally, as five kills between the two ignited a 7-1 run, giving the Mustangs a 22-18 lead that wouldn't be wiped away. 
 
SMSU hit a season-high .349 while holding Drury to a .167 percentage. The Mustangs dominated the statsheet, outdueling Drury in kills (49-36), aces (2-0), and blocks (9-2). 
 
The Mustangs closes out the Drury/Southwest Baptist Classic on Saturday, facing Southern Arkansas at 9 a.m. before taking on Rockhurst at 12:30 p.m. in Bolivar, Mo.