DULUTH, Minn. – The No. 6 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the 2025 season Saturday afternoon, losing 3-1 to the No. 24 ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 25-23, 20-25, 14-25, 16-25.
 
The Mustangs had five players with seven kills each, those players being Mya Krystosek, Sydney Thein, Leah Jones, Karli Arkell, and Ashley Peltier. Jones was second on the team in digs with 13, while McKenzie Tolk led in that category with 18. Thein had 32 assists in the match. Natalie Pilney joined with six kills.
 
As a team, SMSU hit .159 (43-20-145), while Minnesota Duluth hit .306 (66-17-160).
 
The Bulldogs were led in kills by Madeline Gutezkow with 18 kills, her second highest kills of the season, while hitting .244. Xada Johnson had 13 kills and hit .481 on the match.
 
The first set was competitive throughout, with neither team gaining a substantial point advantage or going on a run. Ashley Peltier had four of the Mustangs kills in the set, and the team hit .313 taking the first set 25-23.
 
The second set was close to begin, with the score level at 11-11, before the Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run, led by Guetzkow and Paige Decker both with two kills during that run. Minnesota Duluth used that, while hitting .325 in the set, to win 25-20.
 
The third set was much of the same, starting close at 6-6, until a 9-3 Minnesota Duluth run blew the floodgates open, and then followed a run of 10-3 for the Bulldogs. Minnesota Duluth hit .357 in the third, and ended the set 25-14.
 
The fourth set got away from the Mustangs early, being down 8-1, and that proved to be the difference as the set went on. The Bulldogs hit .293 in the set and won the match 25-16.
 
SMSU plays again on Tuesday, Sept. 23 against Sioux Falls at 6 p.m., and will make their home debut against MSU Moorhead on Friday, Sept. 26. Both games are available to watch on the NSIC Network, and more information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.