DULUTH, Minn. – The No. 10 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (17-4, 11-3 NSIC) fell 3-0 to Minnesota Duluth (17-5, 10-4 NSIC) on Friday evening at Romano Gymnasium, dropping the match by set scores of 27-25, 25-20 and 25-21.
Leah Jones led the Mustangs offensively with 10 kills while hitting .318, while Mollie Rupp added nine kills and hit .300. Ashley Peltier contributed five kills, while Mya Krystosek finished with four kills and a team-high three service aces. Natalie Pilney led SMSU with five total blocks.
Sydney Thein directed the Mustang offense with 14 assists and added 10 digs. Tatem Schmidt contributed 12 assists and six digs, while Ashlynn Schroeder paced the defense with 12 digs. Krystosek added 10 digs.
As a team, SMSU hit .145 (38-19-129). Minnesota Duluth, led by Paige Decker with 14 kills, hit .282 (52-17-124).
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading points throughout the early stages. Minnesota Duluth gradually built a lead, moving ahead 24-20 late in the set. The Mustangs responded with a strong rally, scoring several consecutive points to take a 25-24 lead. However the Bulldogs secured the final three points to take a 27-25 victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.
SMSU opened the second set with an early advantage before the Bulldogs responded to even the score. The teams remained close through the opening points, but Minnesota Duluth began to create separation and moved ahead 11-6. The Mustangs worked to close the gap, but the Bulldogs maintained their lead through the closing stretch. SMSU faced a 24-19 deficit before earning one more point, as Minnesota Duluth closed out the set 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
The Mustangs started the third set strongly, building an early 3-0 advantage. Minnesota Duluth answered with a run of its own, eventually taking control and extending its lead to 16-8. SMSU continued to battle and worked to cut into the deficit late in the set, scoring three consecutive points to pull within 24-21. The Bulldogs, however, secured the final point to win the set 25-21 and complete the sweep.
SMSU continues its road trip on Saturday, traveling to face Bemidji State at 2 p.m.
