Mankato, Minn. --- The the Minnesota State volleyball team took care of business on "Senior Day" and swept the Sioux Falls Cougars on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Center. The Mavericks defeated the Cougars by the scores of 25-19, 26-24 and 25-20.

Junior Krista Hassing [Blue Earth, Minn.] and Courtney Anderson [Tripoli, Iowa] helped lead the charge for the Mavericks as each one tallied 13 kills apiece in the win and finished with attack percentages of .409 and .462, respectively. Anderson also posted a team-high four total blocks, including three solo, while Hassing chipped in with two total blocks of her own.

MSU's two seniors also contributed in a big way as Ellie Van De Steeg [Hutchinson, Minn.] tallied a match-high 33 assists, along with four kills and three digs, while Rachel Ott [Stoughton, Wis.] added seven kills and nine digs.
After both teams in set one fought point for point with the match still tied, 7-7, MSU started to gain its control. The Mavericks managed to go on a 9-1 run to give them a 16-8 advantage over the Cougars which was enough to give MSU the set one win. USF cut MSU's lead down to four late in the set, but it wasn't enough as the Mavericks finished the set with a 25-19 win.

Anderson and junior Lexi Platz [Lafayette, Minn.] each tallied three kills in the set, while Anderson posted two solo blocks in the set.

In frame two it was a back and forth affair as each team had no larger than a two point lead in the set as it was still tied at 24-24. MSU finished off the set on a short 2-0 run to give them a 26-24 set two win thanks in part to a kill by Ott and an attack error from a USF player.

Anderson led MSU with another five kills in set two, while Ott finished with four kills of her own.

In the third and final set it was another close battle as both team were tied at 13-13 all midway through the set. USF managed to gain a little momentum after that point as it went on a 3-0 run to give the Cougars a 16-13 advantage. MSU would answer right back with a 4-1 run of its own to have the set tied back up at 17-17. The set was still tied at 19-19, before MSU finished off the set with a 6-1 run to give the Mavericks a 25-20 third set win.

Hassing dominated the third set with eight kills and a .583 attack percentage, while Anderson clipped five kills of her own. Van De Steeg posted 13 assists in the set and Ott added seven digs.

For the second match in a row, freshman Maddie Keute [Grand Rapids, Minn.] posted a team-high 11 digs, along with two assists. Platz finished with six kills, while junior Haley Fogarty [Belle Plaine, Minn.] finished with nine digs, three kills and two assists.

The Mavericks have concluded their regular season with a 16-12 overall record and 10-10 record in NSIC play. MSU earned the eighth seed in the NSIC Tournament and will face Concordia-St. Paul on Wednesday in the first round. The match will be in St. Paul, Minn. Match time is to be determined.