WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State volleyball team dropped its second straight match to a ranked opponent Friday night as the Warriors lost at home against No. 2 Minnesota Duluth 3-0 in straight sets. The Warriors dropped their first conference home loss in front of 721 fans in McCown Gymnasium.
 
WSU got off to a slow as they fell behind early. Down 11-9, the Bulldogs went on an 8-3 run to gain some separation to make it a 19-12 game. UMD would end up winning the set 25-16. The Warriors offense struggled as they only recorded five kills and six attack errors for a -.029 attack percentage.
 
Winona State had a rough go in the second set as well. After the Warriors pulled ahead for an early 4-3 lead, the Bulldogs went on the attack by going on an 11-3 run to pull ahead 14-7, registering six kills in that span. UMD controlled the rest of the way and won the set 25-16 again. The WSU offense was only able to record a .118 hitting percentage while the Bulldogs hit a blistering .458 hitting percentage.
 
The third set was a back-and-forth thriller. The Warriors had a chance to win the game point after McKenna Larsen recorded a kill to make it 24-23. However, the Bulldogs were able to bounce back and take the set 30-28. Despite a hard-fought set for the Warriors, they were only able to manage a .114 hitting percentage for the set and a .071 hitting percentage for the entire match.

The second-ranked Bulldogs have won all seven of their conference matches in straight sets.
 
Taylor Goar led the Warrior attack with nine kills, Larsen recorded 20 assists and Jamie Cairncross led the defense with 11 digs.
 
Winona State will get a shot at a weekend split when it takes on St. Cloud State Saturday at 4 p.m. in McCown Gym.