MARSHALL, Minn. – The No. 15 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (20-5, 14-4 NSIC) battled back from a two-set deficit before falling to Concordia-St. Paul (21-5, 16-2 NSIC) in a five-set match on Saturday afternoon inside the PE Gym. The Golden Bears earned the 3-2 victory by set scores of 25-23, 26-24, 24-26, 22-25 and 15-6.
Leah Jones led the Mustangs offensively with 19 kills, while Natalie Pilney added 12 kills and six total blocks. Mollie Rupp contributed eight kills, while Mya Krystosek finished with six kills and 11 digs. Lindsay Kruse added five kills without committing an attack error, hitting .556.
Ashlynn Schroeder paced the Mustang defense with 27 digs, while Paige Steinmetz added 16 digs. Tatem Schmidt directed the offense with 21 assists and added 10 digs, while Sydney Thein contributed 25 assists. Schmidt also led SMSU with four service aces.
As a team, SMSU hit .128 (60-35-196), recording 10 service aces, 82 digs and six total blocks. Concordia-St. Paul hit .162 (58-29-179), with Makenna Nold leading the Golden Bears with 16 kills and 23 digs.
The opening set featured a competitive start, with the teams tied at 3-3 before Concordia-St. Paul began to create separation. The Golden Bears built a 6-3 advantage and continued to hold a narrow lead through the middle portion of the set. SMSU battled back, eventually tying the score at 15-15, but Concordia-St. Paul responded to regain control. The Mustangs stayed within reach late, cutting the deficit to 24-23, but the Golden Bears secured the final point to take the set 25-23.
The second set again featured a back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading points through the opening stretch. SMSU tied the score at 5-5 before Concordia-St. Paul built a 10-7 advantage. The Golden Bears continued to extend their lead, moving ahead 14-9, but the Mustangs began to work their way back. Trailing 19-13, SMSU put together a strong run, scoring six straight points to tie the set at 19-19. The Mustangs eventually moved ahead 24-20, but Concordia-St. Paul responded with six consecutive points to claim the set 26-24 and take a 2-0 match lead.
SMSU responded in the third set, building an early 9-2 advantage behind a strong stretch of play. The Golden Bears worked to close the gap, but the Mustangs maintained their lead through the middle portion of the set, moving ahead 17-12 and later 20-13. Concordia-St. Paul mounted a late rally, cutting the deficit to 23-20, but SMSU held on to close out the set 26-24 and extend the match.
The fourth set remained close throughout the opening points, with the teams trading leads before SMSU began to build momentum. After the score was tied at 6-6, the Mustangs moved ahead 10-6 and continued to maintain their advantage. Concordia-St. Paul worked to close the gap, but SMSU held a 17-13 lead before the Golden Bears battled back to tie the set at 20-20. The Mustangs responded by scoring four of the next six points, securing a 25-22 victory to force a deciding fifth set.
Concordia-St. Paul took control early in the fifth set, building a 6-2 lead before extending the advantage to 11-5. The Golden Bears continued to apply pressure, scoring the final four points of the match to close out the set 15-6 and secure the five-set victory.
The match marked the conclusion of SMSU's regular-season home schedule. The Mustangs conclude conference play next weekend against Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.
