ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The No. 8 St. Cloud State volleyball team limited SMSU to a .150 hitting percentage to snap the No. 4 Mustangs 14-match win streak with a sweep by scores of 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday evening at Halenbeck Hall.

The Mustangs, which were on their longest win streak since the 2017 season, drop to 14-1, 5-1 NSIC and the Huskies improve to 12-3 and 6-0 in conference play. 

Leah Jones and Karli Arkell recorded nine kills apiece to lead SMSU. Arkell added six block assists, while Jones grabbed two and bumped five digs. Saari Kuehl swung for seven kills while also adding a pair of block assists. 

Sydney Thein logged 31 assists and held it down defensively with 20 digs for a double-double. McKenzie Tolk followed with 15 digs and supported the attack with five assists.

Ella Thompson made it rain on SMSU, smashing down a season-high 20 kills on a .486 hitting percentage while snagging six block assists to guide SCSU in the win. 

SCSU jumped out to an 11-7 lead following a five-point run before the Mustangs flipped the game and tied it up at 13-13. The next four points were evenly traded until a sloppy offensive attack increased the lead to 20-15, Huskies. The Mustangs battled to reach 20 points but the Huskies were too much and earned the first set win.

An 8-1 start for the Huskies in set two stunned the Mustangs, forcing a timeout at a score of 11-4. Out of the timeout, SMSU pursued a 5-0 run backed by kills from Kuehl and VanHeel until SCSU countered with a 9-2 run of its own to lead by nine. The deficit was too much for SMSU, with the Mustangs falling short in the second set.

SMSU showed signs of hope to start the third game by coming out to 10-6 using six different Mustang attackers. The Mustangs made the score 13-9 but were quickly pushed back as SCSU scored the following seven points to take the lead at 16-13. SMSU battled down the stretch but the Husky offense was too strong, securing back-to-back kills to earn the win in set three.

SMSU continues play on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 8, with a match up at the University of Augustana with first serve at 6 p.m.