MINOT, N.D. – The No. 11 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (12-3, 6-2 NSIC) earned a 3-0 victory over Minot State (3-13, 0-8 NSIC) on Friday evening at the MSU Dome, winning by set scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-18.
Mollie Rupp led SMSU offensively with eight kills, hitting .250 in the match, while Ashley Peltier added seven kills and Natalie Pilney finished with five kills and a team-high seven total blocks.
Tatem Schmidt directed the Mustang offense with 15 assists and added seven digs, while Sydney Thein recorded 14 assists and six digs. Ashlynn Schroeder led the SMSU defense with 19 digs, while Mya Krystosek added 17 digs and three service aces. Paige Steinmetz contributed nine digs.
As a team, the Mustangs hit .148 (33-14-128), along with nine service aces, 10 total blocks and 76 digs. Minot State, led by Caton Pearcy and Emily Willis with 10 kills apiece, finished the match hitting .114 (36-22-123).
The opening set featured 10 ties and five lead changes as the two teams battled throughout the early stages. SMSU held a 5-3 lead before Minot State answered to tie the score two points and later took a 7-6 advantage. The teams remained within a point through the middle portion of the set before the Mustangs moved ahead 13-12. Minot State regained a 17-15 lead, but SMSU responded with four straight points to take a two-point advantage. The Mustangs extended the lead to 23-20 before closing out the set 25-21 on consecutive Minot State attack errors.
SMSU jumped out to an lead in the second set before Minot State rallied to take a 5-3 advantage. The Mustangs answered with four straight points to take the lead, but the Beavers again pulled ahead 8-7. The teams remained closely matched, with the score tied at six different points. SMSU then took control late, scoring five of the next six points to build a 24-20 advantage. The Mustangs closed out the set on a Minot State attack error to take a 2-0 lead.
The Mustangs controlled the third set from the outset, opening with a 4-1 advantage before extending the lead to 8-5. SMSU continued to build its advantage, moving ahead 14-9 and later 18-13. The Mustangs maintained control down the stretch, then finished the match with a kill by Peltier to give SMSU a 25-18 victory and complete the sweep.
SMSU is back in action Saturday morning against UMary at 11 a.m.
