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SMSU VOLLEYBALL: Tempo and teamwork

SMSU sets the pace at home in 3-0 sweep over MSU?Moorhead

Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Lexi Ferrell (14), Emma Thomssen (5) and Kaylee Burmeister (8) celebrate after Taylor Reiss (1) scored a point during their match against Minnesota State University Moorhead on Friday. The Mustangs defeated the Dragons 3-0.

MARSHALL – The No. 16 Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team entered Friday night’s matchup against Minnesota State University Moorhead looking to get out to a good start to their four-match homestand. SMSU put the tempo in a comfortable setting and controlled the match in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-17) sweep in its annual “Red Out” match, the third consecutive sweep for the Mustangs.

SMSU coach Terry Culhane felt his team was able to play with more consistency and that helped them create their own rhythm on offense.

“I thought we just showed more consistency in what we were doing. Offensively, we were able to run just a better rhythm to what we were doing. I thought Emma (Thomssen) did a nice job of running our offense,” Culhane said. “The other thing if your offense is running better with some pace, you’re passing the ball pretty well and I thought we controlled the ball really well.”

Things were tight in the opening set, with SMSU holding just a 5-3 lead before both teams traded points to keep the margin at a few points at 11-8 in favor of the Mustangs. SMSU continued to maintain at least a two-point lead throughout the majority of the frame before seeing its first double-digit advantage at 23-13.

MSU Moorhead responded, though, using a pair of 3-0 runs in between a Meg Schmidt block cut the deficit to five, but SMSU hung on to take Set 1, 25-19.

The second set saw another close-knit battle in the beginning stages, as the Mustangs clung to a 7-5 lead. That’s when SMSU began to find its rhythm on offense, a key area that boosted the Mustangs to a 13-5 run en route to a 25-11 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Culhane said the middle portions of the sets were important for their team and were able to limit their mistakes while maintaining their pressure at the net and in the back row to create separation.

“I just think we didn’t make many mistakes in that stretch and were able to continue to put pressure with serving and handling the ball,” Culhane said. “Thus we got better swings and it’s easier to score when you get better swings, so I think it was a combination of all those things.”

Looking to close out the night with a sweep, the Mustangs used the momentum they gained at the end of Set 2 and never looked back. SMSU held at least a five-point lead throughout the third set and took a 17-10 advantage before a Taylor Reiss ace pushed the Mustangs’ lead to double digits at 21-11.

The Dragons got another late run, cutting the lead to 23-16 thanks to a 5-2 spurt, but SMSU slammed the door on any comeback hopes with a 25-17 victory in Set 3 to cap off the sweep.

Spreading

the attack

SMSU was able to find balance with their offensive opportunities throughout the night, with two players recording at least 10 kills and four with at least seven. Reiss led the way with 20 kills while Angela Young added 10, Sarina Smith chipped in nine and Schmidt had seven. The Mustangs also hit .366 as a team, including a .457 percentage in Set 2. Emma Thomssen led the way in set assists with 42 to add to the Mustang effort.

The defensive presence was also seen on both sides of the court for SMSU, with the Mustangs recording seven blocks and 53 digs. Lexi Ferrell led the way up front with five blocks while Reiss and Schmidt each added three. Burmeister led the back row with 13 digs while Reiss added 11 and Payton Hjerleid had nine.

Burmeister said their key in their attack was their ability to swing aggressively and use a variety of different shots against the Moorhead defense.

“I think our middles really got in there and everybody swung aggressively,” Burmeister said. “If there were tips, they used them and we knew that going into it they had a tough time defending their lines. I think our pain kids did a really good job of using that and I think everyone did a good job of using different shots.”

Serving tough

The Mustangs not only controlled the tempo on the offensive attack, but also from behind the service line. SMSU tallied 10 aces on the night, with Reiss recording seven followed by Ferrell with two and Burmeister with one. The seven aces by Reiss was the first for a Mustang since Jenna Otto against Northern State University in 2004.

Culhane said that’s an area they’ve worked on improving in this season, and added they did a better job of commanding the outcome of the match with their serves.

“I think recently we’ve been more aggressive serving balls. It’s an easy thing to say, ‘I’m going to do that,’ but you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing,” Culhane said. “I think that’s a huge part of the game and we’ve had to get better at that part of the game and I think we’ve just served the ball better recently.”

Up next

SMSU (16-7, 11-4 NSIC) continues its homestand with a matchup against No. 1-ranked Northern State today at 2 p.m. The Wolves enter the match with a 21-1 overall record and 13-1 in NSIC play.

Burmeister said they’re excited for the challenge and knows they’re going to have to match the Wolves’ aggressiveness on both sides of the net.

“We know that they’re going to be aggressive on both sides. Just going into it, we need to serve aggressive and working hard that way to get them out of system,” Burmeister said. “It’s going to be a battle and we know that and we’re excited for it, and we’re just going to work hard as a team.”

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