Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State volleyball (9-3, 2-2 NSIC) team hosted the #4 Duluth Bulldogs (11-1, 4-0 NSIC) Saturday evening at Taylor Center and ended up falling short of making a late comeback, dropping the match 3-1 (25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23).

The first set saw the Bulldogs break the game open with a 7-1 run that gave them the early advantage.  The Mavericks managed to respond, a theme that carried through the whole match, and went on several 3-0 runs to get within striking distance before Duluth ultimately took the set 25-20.  The Bulldogs started the second set with a 9-3 run that made a late run difficult, and were able to ultimately win the set 25-17, taking a 2-0 match lead.

The Mavericks flipped the script in the third set, quickly running out to a 4-0 lead behind three kills from Morgan Olson.  Duluth managed to cut the lead to five points several times, but each time, Minnesota State responded with runs of three or four points, taking the third set 25-21, and cutting the Bulldog lead to 2-1 for the match.

In the fourth set, Duluth took an early 6-3 lead, but the front line for Minnesota State kept them in the match, forcing several attack errors and blocking shots at the net.  The set remained close, with the teams tied at 22-22, before the Bulldogs were able to string together the final points and take the set 25-23, and the match 3-1.

Olson finished the match with 17 kills to lead the Mavericks while Anissa Janzig finished with four total blocks in the match.  Mara Quam paced Minnesota State with 21 digs while Micayla Porter recorded 24 assists.  As a team, the Mavericks recorded 10 total blocks compared to one from the Bulldogs.
 
Minnesota State will return to the road next weekend with matches against Wayne State and Augustana, Friday and Saturday, at 6:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.