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SMSU VOLLEYBALL: SMSU continues winning ways, defeats Emporia State and Adams State to finish FHSU Classic 4-0

HAYS, Kan. — SMSU kicked off day two with a 25-9, 25-16, 25-13 victory over Emporia State to begin the Fort Hays State Classic on Saturday with a 3-0 record.

Meg Schmidt led with nine kills and a pair of aces, Angela Young added eight kills, five digs, and three blocks, and Payton Hjerleid picked up a season-high 19 digs to help the Mustangs to victory.

The Mustangs left the gate on a mission, taking a 12-2 lead in the blink of an eye, with six kills and two aces leading the way, including two kills from Schmidt and a kill and two blocks from Katelyn Nichols. SMSU won the set with a .522 hitting percentage, and saw seven different players record a kill, three record aces, and five record digs.

The second set saw Emporia State take a 3-1 lead, before a 5-0 run by the Mustangs gave them a lead that wouldn’t handed back to the Hornets. Young jump started the offense, with two early kills, and finished the set with four.

The third set began with a 6-5 ESU lead, before Brooklyn Kusler turned the fortunes, collecting a kill and a block to take a 7-6 lead, before an Emma VanHeel kill and Schmidt ace created the separation that would prove to be enough. Rachel Fink added three consecutive service aces to make an 11-7 set 14-7, and Young iced the game, picking up a pair of kills and an ace in the final six points.

The freshmen continued to put up numbers, as VanHeel put up seven kills and two blocks, Kusler added five kills and a block, and Nichols recorded four kills and four blocks.

SMSU went on to defeat Adams State 25-11, 25-10, 25-11 to finish the Fort Hays State Classic 4-0.

Angela Young picked up her second double-double of the season, logging 15 kills and 11 digs to lead the Mustangs. Emma VanHeel added her second career 10+ kill game, going for 10 kills and 2 blocks, while Payton Hjerleid and Rachel Fink combined for 25 digs to lift the defense.

The first set was all Mustangs after falling behind 3-2 early, going on a 7-0 run while Young served as the catalyst. She posted seven kills and three digs to help the Mustangs roll early. The SMSU offense hit at a .333%, while limiting Adams State to -.120%. The Mustangs also benefitted from four aces, while Adams State did not collect one.

Set two was a fast start as well, seeing a Mustang lead grow to as much as 11-3 early on. The Grizzlies could never quite claw back, as SMSU held a double-digit lead for most of the set. Meg Schmidt led the way, tallying five kills in the set. Offense was the story again, as the SMSU outhit ASU .379%- -.033% on the road to victory.

The Grizzlies wouldn’t go down without a fight, climbing to a 6-2 lead early in the third set. An 11-2 SMSU run that was capped off by back-to-back Schmidt aces put the Mustangs on top, and would hold a lead the rest of the way.

Schmidt put together 7 kills and two aces, while Brooklyn Kusler recorded six kills and Katelyn Nichols put up four kills, two aces, and four blocks.

The Mustangs have now won 12 consecutive matches dating back to the 2019 season. It is their longest winning streak since 2017, when they recorded 16 victories in a row to start their season. SMSU will begin conference play on Sept. 17 against Bemidji State.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications

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