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All notes courtesy of SMSU athletics communications.
he No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team split a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference road matches over the weekend, falling to Minnesota Duluth on Friday before bouncing back with a sweep of Bemidji State on Saturday.
The Mustangs (18-4, 12-3 NSIC) opened the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Minnesota Duluth (17-5, 10-4 NSIC), falling by set scores of 27-25, 25-20 and 25-21. SMSU responded with a dominant performance against Bemidji State (15-8, 7-8 NSIC), earning a 25-20, 25-18, 25-16 victory.
Against the Bulldogs, Leah Jones led the Mustangs with 10 kills while hitting .318. Mollie Rupp added nine kills while hitting .300, and Mya Krystosek finished with four kills and a team-high three service aces. Natalie Pilney led SMSU with five total blocks.
Sydney Thein directed the offense with 14 assists and 10 digs, while Tatem Schmidt added 12 assists and six digs. Ashlynn Schroeder paced the defense with 12 digs, and Krystosek also finished with 10 digs.
SMSU hit .145 as a team, recording 38 kills and 19 errors on 129 attacks. Minnesota Duluth hit .282, led by Paige Decker’s 14 kills.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle, with the Bulldogs building a 24-20 lead before the Mustangs rallied to take a 25-24 advantage. Minnesota Duluth responded by scoring the final three points to claim the set.
The Bulldogs created separation in the second set, taking an 11-6 lead and eventually closing out a 25-20 victory. SMSU built an early advantage in the third set, but Minnesota Duluth answered with a run to take control. The Mustangs cut the deficit to 24-21 late before the Bulldogs secured the final point to complete the sweep.
SMSU regrouped Saturday against Bemidji State, with Pilney leading the way with 10 kills without an attack error for a .526 hitting percentage. Jones added nine kills and four total blocks, while Krystosek contributed six kills without an error and three service aces.
Schroeder paced the Mustang defense with 20 digs, while Krystosek added 11. Thein finished with 19 assists, and Schmidt contributed 13 assists. Pilney also recorded two service aces as SMSU finished with 11 aces and 10 total blocks.
The Mustangs hit .266 as a team, recording 37 kills and eight errors on 109 attacks. Bemidji State hit .089, with Nevaeh Carlson, Ava Athman and Ella Kratochvil leading the Beavers with eight kills apiece.
SMSU took control early in the opening set against Bemidji State, building an 8-3 lead. The Beavers pulled within 18-16, but the Mustangs responded to extend their advantage and close out the set 25-20.
After the teams traded points early in the second set, SMSU pulled away from an 8-8 tie to build a 15-11 lead. The Mustangs continued to widen the gap before securing a 25-18 victory.
SMSU carried that momentum into the third set, scoring the first five points and building a 12-6 advantage. The Mustangs maintained control throughout the remainder of the set, closing out the 25-16 win to complete the sweep and earn a split for the weekend.
The Mustangs return to action Tuesday, traveling to face Wayne State at 6 p.m.