DULUTH, Minn. – (RV) Winona State University hung with the Bulldogs in the opening set Saturday afternoon, rallying from a seven-point deficit before suffering a three-point loss to the No. 4-ranked team in the country. The home team went on to record a straight-set victory over the Warriors after putting together a number of insurmountable runs in both the second and third sets.

The Bulldogs won the match by scores of 25-22, 25-16, 25-19. Minnesota Duluth improves to 9-1 (2-0 NSIC) after the sweep while Winona State falls to 8-2 (0-2 NSIC) after falling in its first two conference games of the year.

The Bulldogs actually committed more attacking errors (13) than the Warriors (12) in the victory, but held a significant advantage in hitting percentage (.327-.173). Duluth's defense was a major contributor to the win as the Bulldogs recorded 46 digs in the three sets compared to just 30 for the Warriors.

Duluth also tallied six service aces in the match while Kate Masberg and Casey Volkmann accounted for WSU's pair.

Freshman Madison Larson once again led the Warriors in kills (9) after flooring a career-high 23 at St. Cloud on Friday night. Sophomores Cori Meyers and Madison Rizner combined for 14 kills while the latter totaled a team-best three blocks. Despite the setback, Winona State's wealth of young talent is evident and has plenty of potential as the Warriors navigate through their challenging conference slate.

With 10 games already complete on the schedule, the Warriors will finally have the chance to play at home next weekend with a conference doubleheader. WSU hosts Bemidji State on Friday night at 6 p.m. and Minnesota Crookston at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The homestand marks the beginning of five of the next seven matches to be played in McCown Gymnasium.