WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University senior Taylor Goar's ascension up the program record book continued Saturday evening with a 14-kill performance to help lift the Warriors to a four-set victory over No. 18 Wayne State College in McCown Gymnasium.
WSU recorded its second top-25 triumph of the season by set scores of 25-20, 18-25, 26-24, 25-17. The Warriors improve to 6-9 (3-4 NSIC) while handing the Wildcats just their fourth loss of the year (11-4, 4-3 NSIC).
With her third straight double-digit kill performance, Goar ended the night with 1,131 career kills which rank eighth all-time. She totaled 29 kills over the weekend sweep in guiding Winona State to its first modest two-match winning streak of the season.
The Warriors raced out to a 6-0 advantage in the opening game which set the tone for the home team against the nationally-ranked Wildcats. Winona State led by nine points late, 20-11, on a block by Megan Flom and Sophie Wilker as the Warriors held off a late Wayne State rally to claim the first set.
Both teams played big at the net in the conference showdown, combining for 20 blocks with WSU registering a season-high 13 denials. Freshman Madison Rizner led the way with a career-best eight blocks.
Sophomore Bre Maloney was all over the stat sheet on Saturday night, setting a career high in block assists (6) while notching her eighth double-double of the year. Maloney guided the offense with 47 assists and recorded a season-high 23 digs.
The pivotal third set went back-and-forth as the teams looked to take an all-important 2-1 lead in the match. The game featured 10 ties on the scoreboard and six lead changes. A kill by Cori Meyers to give the Warriors a 17-15 edge stood as the biggest margin by either side until the conclusion of the game. WSU closed the set on a three-point run which began with a Wildcat error, brought game-point on a block by Goar and Rizner, and ended with a Goar game-winning kill.
Trailing 15-13 in game four, Winona State exploded on a 12-2 run to seal the upset victory. As was the case in the Warriors' Friday night win over Augustana, Goar floored the decisive kill of the match.
The WSU defense limited the Wildcats to a season-low .084 hitting percentage. The Warriors' 98 digs were a season high for a four-set match as five players recorded double figures in the category. Goar and Meyers each had double-doubles in digs/kills. Becca Pagel led the way with 25 digs.
The Warriors return to action next weekend with their longest road trip of the year. Winona State travels to Minot State and UMary for matches on Saturday and Sunday before returning to McCown Gymnasium for Homecoming Weekend.
