SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – It was a marathon day as Winona State University opened the 2019 season on Friday with a pair of gritty five-set victories on the first day of the Capital Classic hosted by the University of Illinois Springfield.

The Warriors began the day at 9 a.m. against the University of Southern Indiana and produced a comeback win over the Screaming Eagles before returning to the court at 7 p.m. for another match that went the duration against the host Prairie Stars. WSU fell behind 2-1 to Illinois Springfield, who is receiving votes in the first AVCA Top 25 Poll of the year, before rallying toward victory.

Winona State led 8-0 in the fifth set against Illinois Springfield and had to fend off a ferocious rally against the home to in order to complete the day one sweep. The Warriors won the finale by scores of 19-25, 25-13, 8-25, 25-15, 15-10.

Megan Flom paced the triumphant Warriors offensively in both matches, combing to floor 29 kills on the day. Sophomore Paige Christopher matched Flom's effort against Southern Indiana while Kaleigh Beehler recorded a career-best 12 kills at a .500 clip in the match. Beehler went on to floor 10 kills in the nightcap versus Illinois Springfield.

Bre Maloney posted a double-double with 46 assists and 12 digs against Southern Indiana and set the offense with 38 more assists in the finale. Libero Becca Pagel accumulated 40 digs on the day. At the net, Madison Rizner led the way with 11 total blocks.

Freshman Madison Larson chipped in five kills off the bench against Illinois Springfield in her first collegiate competition for Winona State.

The Warriors return to action for another 9 a.m. match on Saturday morning against the University of Charleston before wrapping up the weekend with a rematch against Illinois Springfield.