Pensacola, Fla. – The No. 14 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (3-0) closed out the SpringHill Suites Invitational with a 3-0 sweep of Wheeling (W. Va.) on Saturday afternoon by the scores of 25-18, 25-13, 27-25.
After the match, Mya Krystosek, Lindsay Kruse, and Ashley Peltier were named to the all-tournament team.
Natalie Pilney led the Mustang attack with 13 kills while hitting an impressive .550, committing just two errors on 20 attacks. She also added three total blocks.
Lindsay Kruse added nine kills while hitting .350 and contributed two block assists while Leah Jones also recorded seven kills without committing an attacking error.
Mya Krystosek recorded six kills and 10 digs, while Paige Steinmetz paced the Mustang defense with 11 digs.
Sydney Thein and Tatem Schmidt shared the setting duties, with each recording 22 assists.
SMSU hit .336 as a team (51-11-119). The Mustangs also held Wheeling to a .194 hitting percentage (35-15-103) while finishing with 48 digs and six total blocks. The Cardinals were led by Isabella Faro and Camryn Matus with 10 and nine kills, respectively.
The Mustangs opened the match by overcoming an early Wheeling run. The Cardinals led 5-3 before SMSU battled back to tie the set, then used a 7-0 run to take a 15-8 advantage and maintained control the rest of the way. SMSU closed out the first set 25-18, hitting .314 adding three aces.
SMSU carried positive play into the second set, building an early lead before extending the advantage to 13-3 during a 7-0 run. The Mustangs continued to pull away, taking a 19-7 lead before finishing the set on a 6-3 run to win 25-13. SMSU hit a match-high .438 during the second set.
The third set was a different story, with 17 ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points through the majority of the set, and Wheeling eventually opened a 20-17 advantage. SMSU responded with three straight points to tie the set at 20-20 before the Cardinals regained a 24-21 lead.
The Mustangs refused to let the match continue, scoring three consecutive points to tie the set. After Wheeling moved ahead 25-24, SMSU answered with three straight points, including kills from Lindsay Kruse and Ashley Peltier, to complete the comeback and win the set, 27-25.
SMSU is in St. Joesph, Mo., next week competing in the Fairfield Inn Griffon Classic. The Mustangs play four matches beginning Thursday, Sept. 3 until Saturday, Sept. 5.
