Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State volleyball team (16-8, 9-8 NSIC) defeated the St. Cloud State Huskies (12-10, 8-8 NSIC) Saturday afternoon in a thrilling match at Taylor Center, by a score of 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21, 27-25, 15-9).

In the first set the Huskies took an early 6-3 lead.  Through the set, the Mavericks fought back from an early deficit to take lead 16-15 after a 5-1 run, but the Huskies ultimately pulled away to take the first set 25-22.

The second set saw more of the same early, as the Huskies jumped out to a 7-3 lead.  A quick 5-1 run later in the set by the Huskies caused another Maverick timeout, with the score 17-11 in favor of SCSU. The Mavericks ultimately fell short of a comeback in the set 25-18.

Early in the third set, the Mavericks and Huskies traded points with the score 4-4. The eighth point was a rally topped off with two crowd pleasing digs from Mara Quam. Following the rally, the Huskies rattled off a quick flurry of four points increasing the lead to 8-4 and forced the Mavericks to use a timeout. After the timeout, the Mavericks went on an extended 10-5 run re-claiming the lead at 14-13. The run was sparked by Morgan Olson with three huge kills and the Huskies promptly called timeout.  Coming out of a timeout the Mavericks went on an extended 8-1 run to win the set 25-21.

The fourth set proved evenly matched with neither team able to build and hold a lead before the Huskies pulled ahead with a 21-18 lead.  Soon after an Anissa Janzig block, the Huskies called a timeout still leading 22-20. After another thunderous block by Janzig and a crowd erupting kill by Olson, the Huskies used another timeout. An intense back and forth finish to the set saw the Mavericks fight back and win, 27-25, to force the fifth tiebreaker set.

In the winner-take-all set, the game started off back and forth like the end of the fourth. The Huskies called a timeout soon after the Mavericks took a 9-5 lead, but the crowd and momentum were behind Minnesota State at that point, and the Mavericks took the final set 15-9, and the match 3-2. 

Olson led the Mavericks with 21 kills in the match while Alivia Garbe added 15 kills and 25 digs. Quam led the team in digs with 31 while Micayla Porter led the Mavericks in assists with 29.       

Next weekend the Mavericks return to the road, taking on Sioux Falls Friday, Oct. 26 at 6:00 p.m., before taking on Southwest Minnesota State Saturday at 2:00 p.m.