Southwest Minnesota State Defeats Minnesota State in Three Sets
The Minnesota State volleyball team dropped a match to No. 13 Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at the Taylor Center, falling 21-25, 22-25, 19-25. The Mavericks hit .129 with 38 kills, while the Mustangs hit .261 with 48 kills, bringing Minnesota State’s record to 10-17 overall and 8-11 in the NSIC.
Avery Klein led the Mavericks offensively with 11 kills alongside eight digs. Jadyn Lester orchestrated the attack with 28 assists while adding 11 digs and a team-high five total blocks. Addison Foor contributed six kills, 11 digs, and two blocks, and Olivia Sturgis chipped in six kills on a .267 hitting clip while collecting four total blocks.
Set-by-Set Breakdown at Taylor Center
The opening set saw early momentum for Minnesota State, as an early run built an 8-4 lead following kills by Lily Riese and Avery Klein alongside a service ace from Kaelyn Wieland. The Mavericks still led 17-12 after another Klein kill before SMSU scored four straight points to pull within 17-16 and eventually tied the set at 18-18. A Mollie Rupp kill put the Mustangs ahead 20-19, and despite a late Kyla Klein kill, the visitors closed the set 25-21 with a Rupp kill and a block by Lindsay Kruse and Jones.
Minnesota State started the second set strongly, taking a 5-3 lead after an Olivia Sturgis kill and a shared block by Lester and Sturgis. The Mustangs responded by claiming four consecutive points to pull ahead 11-7, though the Mavericks answered immediately with four straight points of their own to level the score at 11-11. Later in the set, a kill by Avery Klein and a service ace from Kyla Klein pushed Minnesota State ahead 19-17. Once again, Southwest Minnesota State countered with a late five-point surge to secure a 25-22 win.
In the third set, the Mavericks moved in front 5-2 behind early offensive contributions from Riese and Sturgis. The Mustangs worked their way back to an 8-7 lead, and after a brief tie at 9-9, rattled off seven unanswered points featuring an ace by Natalie Pilney and three kills from Leah Jones to take control at 16-9. Late kills from Foor, Rosenberg, and Avery Klein attempted to spark a rally after SMSU reached set point, but Jones sealed the 25-19 set victory for the Mustangs.
Southwest Minnesota State Holds Record as Team Hosts Sioux Falls
The result leaves Southwest Minnesota State at 21-5 overall and 15-4 in conference play. Minnesota State looks to rebound quickly as the team hosts Sioux Falls on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minnesota.
