MARSHALL, Minn. – The No. 11 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (17-3, 11-2 NSIC) earned a 3-0 sweep over Minnesota State Moorhead (11-11, 4-9 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the PE Gym, winning by set scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-20.
Leah Jones led the Mustangs offensively with 11 kills without committing an attack error, finishing with a .478 hitting percentage. Ashley Peltier, Mya Krystosek and Natalie Pilney each added nine kills, with Peltier hitting .533 and Pilney hitting .529. Lindsay Kruse contributed eight kills and led SMSU with five total blocks.
Tatem Schmidt directed the Mustang offense with 26 assists, while Sydney Thein added 19 assists. Ashlynn Schroeder paced the defense with 20 digs, while Krystosek contributed five digs and two service aces.
As a team, SMSU hit .375 (53-11-112), recording five service aces, 49 digs and six total blocks. Minnesota State Moorhead, led by Maci Martini with nine kills, finished the match hitting .212 (34-13-99), while recording six service aces, 40 digs and six total blocks.
SMSU controlled much of the opening set, taking an early 6-4 lead before extending the advantage to 10-5. The Mustangs continued to build separation, moving ahead 16-7 and maintaining control throughout the remainder of the set. Jones helped lead the offense down the stretch, and SMSU closed out the opening set with a 25-16 victory.
The second set featured a closer battle early, with the teams tied at 5-5 before SMSU began to gain separation. The Mustangs used a strong stretch to build a 10-5 advantage and continued to hold off the Dragons through the middle portion of the set. SMSU extended its lead to 20-11 before Minnesota State Moorhead put together a late push. The Mustangs maintained their advantage and secured a 25-18 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Mustangs carried their momentum into the third set, building an early 5-3 lead before extending the advantage to 8-3. Minnesota State Moorhead stayed within reach, but SMSU continued to control the set and moved ahead 15-7. The Dragons attempted a late rally, cutting the deficit to 23-20, but the Mustangs answered with the final two points to close out the set 25-20 and complete the sweep.
SMSU goes on the road next weekend, traveling north to face Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m., before matching up with Bemidji State the next day at 2 p.m.
