SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Southwest Minnesota State volleyball squad (8-2, 1-2 NSIC) was defeated Tuesday against the Sioux Falls Cougars (7-4, 2-1 NSIC) in five sets, 22-25, 27-29, 25-20, 25-11, 6-15.
 
Mya Krystosek and Leah Jones both led the Mustangs in kills with 18, with Krystosek hitting .259, and was second in digs with 15. Natalie Pilney had a career high in kills with 15, and hit .278 in the match.
 
Sydney Thein had 52 assists and 14 digs, good for her fifth double-double of the season, while McKenzie Tolk led the team with 22 digs. Kennedy Drake had 13 digs and two aces.
 
The Mustangs and the Cougars both hit .216 (both hitting 63-22-190). Sioux Falls was led by Aubrey Gates with 20 kills, while hitting .375 in the match.
 
The Cougars jumped to an early lead and maintained control throughout the first set, eventually leading 18-13. The Mustangs mounted a comeback, going on a 7-2 run led by four kills from Natalie Pilney, tying the set at 20. But Sioux Falls held on, getting three straight kills when the set was tied at 22, winning the set for the Cougars.
 
The second set was a back and forth battle, with the Mustangs leading 10-9. However momentum shifted when Sioux Falls mounted an 8-1 run led by four kills from Aubrey Gates giving the Cougars a 17-11 lead. The Mustangs battled back, eventually going on a 7-1 run of their own to give themselves a 24-22 lead. The Cougars won the next two points, and eventually the set, 29-27.
 
Sioux Falls eventually led the third set as well 9-8, but a 12-4 SMSU run, with Leah Jones and Mya Krystosek leading the way with a pair of kills opened the door for the Mustangs. SMSU, hitting .250 in the set, won 25-20 to keep them in the match.
 
The Mustangs dominated the fourth set, leading 9-4 early, and going on a 6-2 run on top of that lead made a comeback for the Cougars unlikely. SMSU had two aces in the set and hit .360, while Sioux Falls hit .031 and had six attack errors in the fourth set.
 
It seemed like momentum had shifted towards the Mustangs after the fourth set, but the fifth set was a different story. SMSU had six attack errors of their own, and the Cougars hit .316 in the final set, and backed by a 10-1 run, won the fifth set 15-6.
 
SMSU will make their home debut on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. against MSU Moorhead, and will play again at home the following day against Minnesota Crookston at 2 p.m. Both games are streaming on the NSIC Network. Tickets and more information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-volleyball.