WAYNE, Neb. – Playing its third top-15 ranked team in the past four matches, the Winona State volleyball team fell to No. 12 Wayne State 3-1 Friday night at Rice Auditorium.

The match was well-played on both sides, with the Wildcats hitting .292 and the Warriors not far behind at .284.

The first set was very tight the majority of the way, with neither team controlling more than a two point lead until three straight points gave the Wildcats an 18-15 lead and eventually earned a 25-18 victory. The Warriors had statistically its worst set of the match in the first set, hitting .167 while allowing the Wildcats to hit .323.

The Warriors were better in the second set, accumulating 16 kills while hitting .295 as a team, but still dropped a tighter 25-22 contest heading into intermission.

The Warriors used the break to their advantage, coming out hot in the third set.  WSU was in a tight battle with the Wildcats until the midway point of the set.  After a 15-14 lead for Wayne State, the Warriors won 11 of the final 13 points to cruise to a 25-17 win and a 2-1 deficit.  The Warriors hit an outstanding .425 for the set with 20 kills.

WSU dug itself an early hole in the fourth set, falling behind 11-5.  The Warriors fought back to within 15-11, but their rally was not enough, falling 25-21 to give WSC a 3-1 match victory.

Jamie Cairncross was very strong defensively for WSU, recording her third-highest dig total of the season with a match-high 27.

Danielle Rampart turned in a fine effort on both offensively and defensively with another double-double, tying her second-most digs of the season with 19 while also adding 17 kills and a .302 hitting percentage to the stat sheet.

Taylor Goar continued her strong play with another double-double thanks to a match-high 18 kills to go with 17 digs.

McKenna Larsen was the third Warrior to earn a double-double, handing out a match-high 48 assists while also accumulating 16 digs.

Senior Rachel Polland also hit for a solid .381 average with a season-high eight kills and no errors.

Winona State (14-6, 9-5 NSIC) heads to Sioux Falls, S.D. Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tilt with Augustana.