SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The No. 12 ranked Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team (6-2, 0-1 NSIC) dropped its first NSIC match this season in four sets to No. 5 ranked Concordia-St. Paul (6-2, 1-0 NSIC) on Friday evening at the Gangelhoff Center, falling by set scores of 17-25, 21-25, 25-22 and 23-25.
Leah Jones led the Mustangs offensively with 11 kills, while Lindsay Kruse added 10 kills and hit .333. Ashley Peltier, Natalie Pilney, and Mya Krystosek each finished with nine kills. Kruse led SMSU at the net with five total blocks, including two solo blocks and three block assists.
Tatem Schmidt directed the Mustang offense with 28 assists and added 11 digs, while Sydney Thein recorded 24 assists and nine digs. Ashlynn Schroeder paced the defensive effort with a team-high 20 digs, while Paige Steinmetz added 14 digs and Krystosek finished with 13.
As a team SMSU hit .191 (57-23-178). Concordia-St. Paul, led in kills by Makenna Nold with 19, hit .253 (63-19-174).
The Mustangs faced an early deficit in the opening set as Concordia-St. Paul jumped ahead 8-4. SMSU battled back to within three points before the Golden Bears extended their advantage to 17-10. The Mustangs trimmed the deficit to seven following kills from Jones and Peltier, but Concordia-St. Paul closed the set, 25-17.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle, with 16 ties and eight lead changes. The Mustangs took a 10-7 lead before the Golden Bears rallied to tie the set at 11 a-piece. The teams continued to trade points, reaching a tie eight more times in the set. Concordia-St. Paul took a 23-21 lead before closing out the set two points later, 25-21.
SMSU responded in the third set by taking control early with a 5-1 advantage and later led 10-4 before Concordia-St. Paul rallied to make it 15-15. After the Golden Bears briefly moved in front, SMSU answered with a three-point stretch to take an 18-16 lead. The Mustangs continued to maintain the advantage, moving ahead 22-17 and eventually reaching set point at 24-20. Concordia-St. Paul scored twice, but Krystosek delivered the final kill to give SMSU a 25-22 victory and extend the match.
The fourth set was again tightly contested. Concordia-St. Paul took an early three point lead before SMSU battled back to tie the set at 6-6. The Mustangs later held a 13-11 advantage following a kill from Peltier. The Golden Bears answered with a 5-0 stretch to take a 16-13 lead, but SMSU battled back to tie the set three points later. The teams continued to exchange points, with SMSU later trailing 20-18. Concordia-St. Paul reached match point at 24-21, but the Mustangs scored twice behind a Kruse kill and a block from Peltier and Kruse to pull within 24-23. The Golden Bears, however, closed the set on the next point to secure the 25-23 victory and the 3-1 match win.
The Mustangs are back in action Saturday afternoon against Winona State at 4 p.m.
