MANKATO, Minn. ­– Minnesota State (9-1, 1-1 NSIC) defeated Minnesota Crookston (3-7, 0-2 NSIC) in a three-set sweep on Friday night. Seniors Toryn Richards and Kiya Durant led the way for the Mavericks; Richards finished with 12 kills, 10 digs and an ace and Durant tallied 11 kills with a .625 hitting percentage and three block assists.
 
The Mavericks jumped out to a hot 5-0 start thanks to two service aces from freshman setter Jadyn Lester and kills from Richards and Avery Rosenberg. Minnesota Crookston punched back, though, scoring four quick points to bring the MSU lead to one. Minnesota State responded with an 8-1 run to give the Mavericks a 13-5 lead.
 
The Golden Eagles held their own for a while, as the team went on a 5-1 run. The Mavericks would close out the set with a 9-0 run to take the opener 25-11. Richards had three kills in that run and Durant had two before senior libero Ellie Kline made the victory official with a service ace to end the set. Minnesota State held UMC to a .054 hitting percentage in the first set while hitting .406 themselves.
 
Minnesota Crookston jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the second set, but two big kills from Rosenberg and an attack error gave the Mavericks the lead back, 4-3. After trading scores back and forth, Minnesota State went on a 7-1 run to put the score at 12-8. Freshman Avery Klein and Durant dominated this stretch, combining for three kills and a booming block to swing momentum back in favor of the home team.
 
Following some more volley scoring, Minnesota State garnered a six-point lead after a quick 4-0 run to make the score 20-14. Emily Kern and Rosenberg combined for a block and Klein tallied another kill in the run. The Golden Eagles did not go away quietly; the away team closed out the set on a 9-5 run, but the Maverick lead was too great. MSU took set two by a score of 25-23.
 
The Mavericks started the third set up 4-1, but a pair of Golden Eagle kills put the MSU lead at one. An 8-2 run for the home squad put the Mavericks up 12-5. Everyone seemingly contributed on the run; Emma Loveall had two consecutive kills, Kern and Richards combined for a block and followed the big defensive play up with a kill each.
 
After some attack errors for Minnesota State, the Mavericks locked in for a 7-2 run, with Richards recording four-straight kills to give her team a 19-9 lead. Once again, the Golden Eagles didn't go down without a fight, but the Maverick lead was too much to overcome. Durant had two huge kills in three plays to win the set for MSU, 25-18, completing the sweep.
 
Minnesota State recorded 50 kills, six aces, 47 assists and 67 digs in the team's first conference win of the season. As a team, the Mavericks hit .323 against the Golden Eagles, who only hit .168 against the MSU defense.
 
Richards led all players with 12 kills with a .250 hitting percentage. The senior outside hitter also recorded 10 digs, an ace and contributed on a block assist. Durant played outstanding in the middle, tallying 11 kills while hitting .625 and also finished with three block assists. Klein had nine kills and two block assists. Loveall had eight kills and an ace in the win. Both Kern and Rosenberg recorded two block assists in the match.
 
Madisen Miller led the Mavericks with 14 digs in the match, flying all over the court to keep the play alive for her teammates. Senior players Brooke Bolwerk and Kline each had 11 digs and Lester had 10 while contributing three aces from the service line to lead the team. Both Bolwerk and Lester ended the match with 20 assists.
 
The Mavericks take on the Warriors of Winona State (8-5, 1-1 NSIC) tomorrow, September 28 at 2 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato. WSU lost to No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul tonight, 3-1. Minnesota State is 21-10 against the Winona State, but the Warriors have bested the Mavericks in each of the previous five matchups.