MARSHALL, Minn. -- The Minnesota State volleyball team (3-9, 1-3 NSIC) lost 3-0 to No. 14 Southwest Minnesota State (9-2, 3-1 NSIC) on Saturday at PE Gym, falling 21-25, 17-25, 21-25. The Mavericks finished with 33 kills and a .155 hitting percentage, while the Mustangs had 47 kills and hit .310.
"SMSU is such a solid team," said Head Coach
Corey Phelps. "I loved our aggressiveness from the service line today. We battled throughout and limited their runs which was huge. I like the trajectory we're on as a team. We continue to find ways to get better every day.
Avery Klein led the Mavericks with nine kills, hit .308 and added an ace and a solo block.
Jadyn Lester finished with 25 assists, nine digs, three kills and an ace.
Kaelyn Wieland served three aces and collected eight digs.
Addison Foor added seven kills, seven digs and one ace.
SET ONE
The Mavericks worked out of an early 6-3 deficit in the opening set, tying it at 6-6 on Lester's service ace after a Lester kill and a Mustang attack error.
Lily Riese had two kills assisted by Lester as the Mavericks answered early SMSU points. After the teams were even again at 8-8, the Mustangs used a Lindsay Kruse kill, a block-assisted Mavericks attack error and an Ashley Peltier kill to go up 11-8, then later scored four straight behind a Tatem Schmidt ace and two Mya Krystosek kills for a 15-9 lead.
The Mavericks cut the margin to 19-17 as Riese and Wieland started the response, Foor added two kills later in the stretch, and Klein and Riese followed with back-to-back kills. The Mustangs moved ahead 23-19, and after the Mavericks pulled back to 23-21 on an attack error and Wieland's second ace of the set, a service error and a block by Natalie Pilney and Leah Jones closed the set for Southwest Minn. St., 25-21.
SET TWO
SMSU built an early 5-1 lead in the second set with kills from Mollie Rupp and Leah Jones and two Mavericks attack errors, but the Mavericks pulled within 6-5 behind an
Olivia Sturgis kill, a block by Lester and
Avery Rosenberg and another SMSU attack error. The Mavericks also got a kill from Rosenberg and Foor and a later Riese block to stay within 10-9, and Wieland's ace cut the margin to 13-11 after the Mustangs had moved back in front by four.
SMSU then scored six straight points to move from 13-11 to 19-11, getting three Rupp kills and service aces from Pilney and Kennedy Drake during the stretch. The Mavericks answered late with a
Savannah Meyer ace and kills from Riese, Foor and Klein, but the Mustangs closed the set on a Krystosek kill for a 25-17 win.
SET THREE
After the Mustangs scored the first three points and led 5-2, the Mavericks pulled even at 5-5 on Sturgis' kill and a setting error before Lester's kill put the Mavericks in front 6-5. The Mavericks continued to trade points through the middle of the set, moving ahead 10-8 on a Foor service ace and 16-15 on a Klein block that forced an attack error. The set stayed tight through the middle stages, with the Mavericks getting kills from Sturgis, Lester, Foor, Klein and Riese while SMSU continued to answer, leaving the score tied at 16-16. The Mustangs later built a 23-18 lead behind kills from Kruse, Peltier, Pilney and Krystosek, but MSU answered with a Sturgis and Riese kill and a SMSU attack error to get back within 23-21. Krystosek and Rupp closed the set with kills for the Mustangs, which took the third set 25-21.
Up next, the Mavericks visit St. Cloud State on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn.
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