ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The No. 13 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (21-6, 15-5 NSIC) closed out the regular season with a 3-0 loss to St. Cloud State (21-8, 14-6 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon inside Halenbeck Hall. The Huskies earned the victory by set scores of 29-27, 25-14 and 25-22.
Natalie Pilney and Lindsay Kruse led the Mustangs offensively with 10 kills apiece, with both players hitting .500. Ashley Peltier added nine kills, while Mya Krystosek paced the Mustang defense with 17 digs.
Ashlynn Schroeder contributed 14 digs, while Paige Steinmetz added eight. Sydney Thein directed the offense with 18 assists, while Tatem Schmidt finished with 16 assists. Kruse also led SMSU with four total blocks.
As a team, SMSU hit .168 (41-18-137), recording 61 digs and six total blocks. St. Cloud State hit .257 (52-16-140), with Kinsey Mohwinkle leading the Huskies with 14 kills and nine total blocks.
The opening set featured a strong comeback effort from the Mustangs after St. Cloud State built an early 11-2 advantage. SMSU began to chip away at the deficit, eventually cutting the margin to 17-14 before continuing its push to tie the score at 19-19. The teams traded points through the closing stretch, with the set eventually reaching a 27-27 tie. The Huskies scored the final two points to secure a 29-27 victory and take a 1-0 match lead.
St. Cloud State carried its momentum into the second set, building an early 6-2 advantage. SMSU worked its way back, tying the score at two separate points, but the Huskies responded with a strong run to regain control. St. Cloud State extended its lead to 19-11 and maintained the advantage through the remainder of the set, closing out a 25-14 victory to take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set opened with SMSU taking an early 3-0 advantage before St. Cloud State battled back to tie the score three points later. The Mustangs continued to compete through a back-and-forth opening stretch, with the score tied at 10-10 and 11-11. The Huskies eventually created separation, moving ahead 20-16. SMSU continued to battle, narrowing the deficit to 24-22, but St. Cloud State secured the final point to close out the set 25-22 and complete the sweep.
The match concludes the regular season for the Mustangs, who finish conference play with a 15-5 NSIC record. SMSU awaits an opponent for the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinal match on Tuesday, inside the PE Gym at 6 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear white for the match.
