MARSHALL, Minn. – In a thrilling Saturday afternoon match, the No. 8 Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team reeled off three straight set victories to earn a 15-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17 over No. 11 University of Minnesota Duluth in front of over 1000 fans in the SMSU PE Gym.

After beating both conference opponents this weekend, SMSU is now 7-1 in the NSIC, 14-2 overall, while UMD drops to 5-4 in the conference, 12-5 overall.

A duo of outside-hitters led the Mustangs offensively today. Leah Jones and Karli Arkell led the squad in kills with 11 apiece. Emma VanHeel added nine kills on 15 percent hitting, while grabbing five total blocks on the front line. Alisa Bengen and Ashley Peltier each recorded six kills, with Bengen hitting around 42 percent.

Alisa Bengen and McKenzie Tolk anchored SMSU defensively in the match. Tolk captured a team-high 20 digs in her effort, the most in the match by a player, and dished out six assists offensively. Bengen recorded 10 digs and notched a squad-high 31 assists.

Four Mustangs notched at least four block assists on the front line, with VanHeel grabbing a team-high of six, and season-high eight total blocks in the match. Brooklyn Kusler recorded three service aces today, with Tolk, Jones, and VanHeel also capturing an ace in their efforts.

Set one saw the Bulldogs jump to a commanding start, leading by nine at one point. SMSU battled late in the set, pushing for a comeback fueled by Ashley Peltier and Saari Kuehl. UMD eventually took the set by a score of 25-15, following kills by Payton Addink and Cianna Selbitschka, and two SMSU attacking errors.

The Mustangs battled back with authority in the second set, winning 25-18. The Bulldogs were plagued by errors in the set, tallying 10 errors, and hitting a negative attack percentage. Karli Arkell swung for two kills for SMSU to give them the win.

Set three was back-and-forth, with neither team willing to go down in the match. The score eventually pushed to 15-15. VanHeel, Jones, and Arkell pushed the SMSU effort, tallying kills in between Bulldog points. SMSU pulled ahead late, utilizing energy gained off a streak of kills, before finishing off the job with kills by Arkell and Jones.

The final set displayed the Mustangs' confidence on their home floor. Over 1000 fans cheered SMSU to victory in the heavyweight bout. After halting at a score of 13-11, SMSU went on a thrilling run, scoring the next seven points. The Mustangs scored the final three points of the set off Arkell and Peltier kills.

UP NEXT

The SMSU volleyball team travels to St. Paul, Minn. on Oct. 12, for a match-up with the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears at 6 p.m.

The Mustangs then make their way to Winona State for a battle with the Warriors at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 14