St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota State volleyball team fell to #8 Concordia-St. Paul on the road Tuesday night in three sets (25-29, 25-23, 25-16).

With the loss, the Mavericks overall record falls to 8-3 and 2-1 in NSIC play.

MSU built a quick 6-2 lead in set one over CU, but the Mavericks lead dwindled fast as the Golden Bears tied the set up 8-8. MSU never saw the lead after that point in the set as CU went on 7-1 run to give the Golden Bears a 15-9 lead. CU would build its biggest lead to eight (19-11) at one point in the set and would eventually take set one over MSU, 25-19.  The Mavericks recorded four service errors and just one service ace in the set, while the Golden Bears posted zero service errors and three service aces.

In set two it was a little more back and forth from both teams, as MSU built another quick 5-2 lead over CU and would hold steady to its lead before the Golden Bears fought back to tie the set up at 9-9. The Mavericks would again build their lead over the Golden Bears to 15-11 and would continue to lead late into the set before CU came back to tie the set at 21-21. The Golden Bears took the next two points in the set, which proved to be the difference as CU took set two over MSU, 25-23. The Mavericks in set two accumulated a .229 attack percentage and three total team blocks, while the Golden Bears tallied a .194 attack percentage and one total team block.

In the third and final set the Mavericks found themselves down quickly as the Golden Bears built an early 7-1 lead which forced a Maverick timeout. After the quick break, CU kept on building its lead and had as big of a lead as 12 at one point in the set. The Golden Bears finished the third set with a 25-16 win over the Mavericks to give them the match win. The Mavericks posted just a .077 attack percentage while the Golden Bears swung a sizzling .310 attack percentage.
Overall MSU posted a .165 attack percentage, nine service errors and three service aces, while CU collected a .228 attack percentage, three service errors and seven service aces.

Junior middle blocker Krista Hassing [Blue Earth, Minn.] led the Mavericks offensive attack with 14 kills, .357 attack percentage and also added four total blocks. Freshman outside hitter Nevena Vukomanovich [Maplewood, Minn.] pitched in with six kills, six digs and one service ace in the match.

Senior setter Ellie Van De Steeg recorded a team-high 27 assists along with nine digs, while junior libero Haley Fogarty [Belle Plaine, Minn.] led the Mavericks with 11 digs in the loss.

The Mavericks will continue their stay on the road this weekend, as they will travel to Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. MSU will take on USF at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and will close out the week on Saturday with SMSU at 3:00 p.m.