MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State volleyball (4-0) won the final game of the Maverick Invite on Saturday against the Northern Michigan Wildcats in a highly competitive match. With their backs against the wall, the Mavericks were able to climb out of a 2-1 deficit to win the match. Emma Loveall set a new career-high in kills again, finishing with 21. The Mavericks are 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
 
Minnesota State jumped out to an early 7-3 lead after the net caught a Wildcat attack for an attack error. Northern Michigan would storm back to take the lead thanks to two kills from senior middle blocker Meghan Meyer. A hammering kill from Kiya Durant and an ace from freshman Jadyn Lester notched the score at 11-11. The Wildcats scored five straight, pouncing on three different errors made by the home team. The Mavericks scored on three-straight kills from Toryn Richards, Loveall and Durant to make the score 16-14.
 
Northern Michigan followed up that short stretch with a 7-3 run which gave them a 23-17 lead in the opening set. Despite a valiant effort from Minnesota State, the Wildcats would take set one on a nice fake-set kill from NMU setter Allie Barlow. Northern Michigan won the set 25-19.
 
The Mavericks started the next set hot, jumping out to a 7-2 lead, but the Wildcats clawed their way out of the large deficit, making the score 10-9 thanks to some excellent passing from Barlow that set up her teammates for hard hits.
 
A 7-2 run for MSU gave the squad a comfortable lead. During that stretch, Northern Michigan committed three-straight attack errors. After some back-and-forth scoring, Richards closed out the set on a pair of kills set up by seniors Brooke Bolwerk and Ellie Kline, giving the Mavericks a 25-19 win in set two.
 
The Wildcats scored five points before the Mavericks tallied one to open the third set. Northern Michigan continued to cruise, taking a 10-4 lead on a big kill from freshman Wildcat Kaysie Bakke. When Bakke went to attack on the next possession, she was met by Abby Wolfe and Emily Kern at the net, who smashed down her hit for a block. After a service ace from FIU transfer Madisen Miller, the Wildcats went on a 9-1 run, extending the team's lead to 19-8.
 
Minnesota State stormed back in the set, flourishing on a 12-5 run to make the set close, but the Wildcat lead was too great. Barlow and Meyer connected on a kill to end the set 25-20, giving Northern Michigan a 2-1 set advantage.
 
Both teams were hungry heading into the fourth set, resulting in back and forth scoring to start. A kill from Loveall started a 5-0 run to put the Mavericks up 8-4. Another Loveall kill and Miller ace made the score 10-5. The Wildcats fought back, though, and a block forced a Maverick timeout with the score 13-10.
 
Out of the timeout, MSU went on a 9-2 run, as the Mavericks had three blocks in that stretch from Avery Rosenberg, Durant and Wolfe. Rosenberg also contributed two kills in that stretch. A Bakke kill stopped the run and made the score 22-13, Mavericks. Minnesota State closed out the set 25-14, which forced a fifth and final set.
 
The Mavericks dominated the entire fifth set. Lester was making all the right plays, starting the last set with an ace, a fake-set kill and two assists to Richards. Durant and Rosenberg also had a block that forced a Wildcat timeout. A kill from Durant made the score 6-1 out of the break. After a few self-inflicted wounds, Minnesota State closed out the set on another 6-1 run, capped off by a booming kill from Richards. The Mavericks had an outstanding hit percentage of .556 in the fifth set; Northern Michigan hit .000. MSU won the final set 15-6 and closed out an excellent weekend of play with its fourth win of the new season.
 
Minnesota State finished with 63 kills while hitting .266, 55 assists, nine aces from the service line, 87 digs and 13 total blocks.
 
Loveall had a career day, tallying 21 kills on a .477 hitting percentage. She also had two block assists. Richards had 17 kills and 15 digs. Durant ended with six blocks and six kills. Kern led the match in blocks with seven total. Wolfe had a great day off the bench, contributing four kills and six block assists of her own. Bolwerk and Lester matched each other with 24 assists a piece. Lester led all players with four aces in her fourth career game as a Maverick. Miller contributed three aces from the service line of her own.
 
Jacqueline Smith led the Wildcats with 17 kills on 55 attempts. She also had 18 digs and a block assist. Meyer ended with nine kills and an ace. Barlow had 45 assists in the match.
 
"This was a total team win," said an ecstatic head coach Corey Phelps. "Even though we didn't play well all the time, we manufactured ways to create energy while staying smart and aggressive. In that match, we managed to stay aggressive even when Northern Michigan was playing well. Confident and aggressive teams win fifth sets, and we won ours today."
 
After a long weekend of play, the Mavericks hit the road, as they travel to Owensboro, Kentucky for the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational. At the showcase, Minnesota State plays Illinois Springfield, Thomas More, KWC and Christian Brothers University. The tournament will be on Friday and Saturday, September 13 and 14.