ROLLA, Mo. – Minnesota State opened its 2025 season with a straight-set victory over Missouri S&T, earning a 3–0 sweep (25–19, 25–17, 25–21) Thursday evening at Gibson Arena in non-conference volleyball.
The Mavericks were led by junior setter Jadyn Lester, who recorded a double-double with 32 assists and 12 digs while setting a career high of seven service aces. Senior Mary Satori anchored the back row with a career-best 15 digs and added seven kills and three aces. Offensively, Avery Rosenberg led the way with 10 kills on a .556 hitting percentage, while Avery Klein and Olivia Sturgis combined for 14 kills.
Minnesota State set the tone early, as Lester connected with Satori for the match's first kill before adding back-to-back service aces to help the Mavericks jump out to a 3-0 advantage. Missouri S&T quickly responded, capitalizing on a pair of Maverick errors to even the score at 3-3. The teams traded points in a back-and-forth stretch that saw eight ties, with neither side leading by more than two.
Rosenberg provided a spark midway through the set, delivering kills on consecutive possessions to give MSU a slim 13-11 edge. The Mavericks extended the lead behind steady play from Klein and Satori, who combined for three late kills to push the margin to 20-15. Missouri S&T pulled within three, but Minnesota State closed strong with a 5-2 run highlighted by a Lester-to-Rosenberg connection and a Miner attack error that sealed the 25-19 win.
The second set belonged to Minnesota State from the opening serve. Lester once again created separation at the line, serving three aces in the first eight points as the Mavericks built an early 8-2 advantage. Rosenberg and Klein added kills during the stretch, forcing Missouri S&T to call an early timeout.
The Miners responded with a brief scoring run, capitalizing on two Minnesota State errors to narrow the deficit to 11-9. The Mavericks quickly regained control, as Sturgis delivered a cross-court kill and Rosenberg added two consecutive points to maintain momentum. Strong back-row play from Satori and libero Ellie Kline extended several rallies, allowing Kline to finish with a pair of kills down the stretch.
With MSU leading 22-17, Rosenberg finished off the set with back-to-back kills, and Addison Foor added the final point to close out the frame, 25-17, giving the Mavericks a commanding 2-0 match lead.
The Miners responded in the third with their most competitive stretch of the night, holding an early 3-0 advantage and later pulling within a point at 20-19. Minnesota State answered with a timely side-out, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Satori and Sturgis. Lester's seventh ace of the evening brought the Mavericks to match point, and Rosenberg delivered the final kill to close out the sweep at 25-21.
Head Coach Corey Phelps reflected on the team's performance, "It was good to get the first win under our belt. We served well throughout, which kept them out of system and helped our defense. Offensively, we have some work to do." Phelps added, "I am excited about the rest of the tournament and the energy our whole team had tonight."
The Mavericks (1-0) return to action at the Miner Volleyball Tournament on Friday at Gibson Arena with a matchup against Missouri Southern at 2:30 p.m., followed by a contest with Christian Brothers at 4:30 p.m.
