Mankato, Minn.- The Minnesota State volleyball team fell to #11 Wayne State in four sets (25-27, 25-17, 25-13, 25-20) on Friday night at Taylor Center. The Mavericks won set one, before the Wildcats rallied back and took the next three sets for the win.

With the loss MSU's record falls to 9-5 overall and 3-3 in NSIC play.

In the first frame of action both teams were trading point for point early on as it was tied up at 7-7. The Mavericks would finally pull away and build its largest lead in the first set with a 17-13 lead over the Wildcats. MSU was still leading 23-19 late in the set, however WSC would not go away. The Wildcats were able to tie the set up at 23-23 with the Mavericks and the match stayed tied at 25-25. MSU was able to retake the lead and win the first set, 27-25, after an attack error from a WSC player and a kill from senior setter Ellie Van De Steeg [Hutchinson, Minn.].

In set two it was more of the same, as both teams were all tied at 11-11 midway through the set.  After that, the Wildcats built some breathing room for themselves as they were able to go on a 5-1 run, to give them a 16-12 lead over the Mavericks. WSC held steady to its lead for the rest of the set and won set two, 25-17. The Wildcats recorded a .300 attack percentage in the set while the Mavericks posted a .265 attack percentage.

With an 8-8 tie in set three, WSC quickly built a double-digit advantage over MSU, as the Wildcats rallied off 11 straight points in the set to give them a 19-8 lead over the Mavericks. WSC took set three over MSU 25-13. The Mavericks accumulated just a .028 attack percentage in the set, while the Wildcats tallied a .311 attack percentage.

In the fourth and final set MSU was able to build a 10-7 advantage over WSC, before the Wildacts went on a 4-1 run to tie the set up at 11-11. The set went back and forth for the majority of the rest of the set as it was all square at 19-19. The Wildcats again would finish the match with another run, as they scored six of the last seven points to give them a 25-20 win over the Mavericks. 

Overall the Purple and Gold posted a .161 attack percentage on the night, while the Wildcats recorded a .238 attack percentage. The Mavericks also tallied three service aces and 12 service aces in the match, compared to the Wildcats five service aces and six service errors. 

Pacing the Maverick offense was junior middle blocker Krista Hassing [Blue Earth, Minn.], as she posted a team-high 17 kills and five total blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Vikolia Meade [Solon, Iowa] fell just shy of double-digits, as she added nine kills with a .365 attack percentage in the match.

Freshman Nevena Vukomanovich [Maplewood, Minn.] finished with eight kills and 15 digs, while junior Sydney Geisness [St. Croix Falls, Wis.] ended up with seven kills and a .400 attack percentage.

Van De Steeg led MSU with 39 assists in the match and also added 15 digs and four kills. Junior Haley Fogarty [Belle Plaine, Minn.] led the Mavericks with 26 digs, while junior Rissi McNallan [Andover, Minn.] collected 16 digs of her own.

The Mavericks will return to action Saturday as they will play host to #19 Augustana at Taylor Center. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m.