CROOKSTON – The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs volleyball team ended their weekend with authority, defeating Minnesota Crookston 25-13, 25-17, 25-12 on Saturday afternoon.

Angela Young added her third consecutive double-double, going for 20 kills and 12 digs while hitting at a .432 clip to lead the Mustangs. Meg Schmidt tallied 10 kills, six digs, and three service aces, and Payton Hjerleid collected nine digs.

The Mustangs fired early, and never looked back. SMSU never trailed, scoring the first two points and 20 of the first 26 points, with Young leading the charge. She recorded four kills in the first six Mustang points, and seven in the set. The Mustangs hit at a .414, while limiting UMC to .214.

Set two had the Golden Eagles take a 9-6 lead, before an 11-3 barrage gave the Mustangs a 20-12 lead. Six kills by Schmidt led the way, and a 5-1 run sealed the set. SMSU hit .179 with 16 kills in the set, while Crookston hit -.091 and picking up five kills.

SMSU wrapped up the match with a display of dominance in set three, with a 12-9 lead ballooning to 23-11 in the blink of an eye. Three Emma VanHeel kills combined with three kills from Young to carry the 11-2 run, and Hjerleid closed the set and match with a service ace.

Alisa Bengen paced the offense with 31 assists and added four kills of her own, and VanHeel paced the freshmen picking up nine kills.

The Mustangs are 10-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017, when they won 16 straight to start the season. SMSU returns home for the first time since the 2019 season on Tuesday, facing Augustana starting at 6 p.m. SMSU also hosts St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday next week.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications