MARSHALL, Minn. – The No. 18 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (17-6, 10-6 NSIC) defeated the Bemidji State Beavers (7-17, 4-12 NSIC) Saturday afternoon in three sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-14.
 
Leah Jones led the Mustangs in kills in the match with 14, hitting .500 with five digs. Karli Arkell and Ashley Peltier had eight kills each, hitting a combined .297. McKenzie Tolk had 11 digs, leading the team, and Sydney Thein tallied 36 assists.
 
As a team, the Mustangs hit .351 on the match (42-9-94) while the Beavers, who were led in kills by Lily Riese and Ava Athman with nine kills each, hit .102 (30-20-98).
 
The Beavers got off to an early lead in the first set, leading 10-9, before a 6-1 Mustangs run with two kills from Natalie Pilney gave SMSU a sizeable advantage. While the Beavers stayed diligent in the set, Leah Jones with three kills led the Mustangs to six unanswered points, and took the set 25-17. SMSU hit .344 as a team in the set.
 
It was a similar story in set two, as the Beavers led 8-7 in the second set, before a 6-1 Mustangs run with three more kills from Jones, gave SMSU a 13-9 lead in the set. The Beavers hung in, and even tied the set at 18 each before the Mustangs scored seven unanswered, with Ashley Peltier leading the charge with three straight kills, and winning the second set 25-18.
 
With BSU leading 7-6 early in the third set, an 8-1 run for the Mustangs in the third set gave SMSU a 14-8 lead in the third set. SMSU ended the set on a 7-2 run, with freshmen Maddy Range earning a match-winning kill. The Mustangs hit .462 in the final set, and won the third 25-14.
 
The Mustangs are back on the road next weekend, facing No. 22 ranked Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D. on Friday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. The match will be streaming live on the NSIC Network, and more information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.