WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University volleyball team put forth a strong effort in their match against the nationally-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday, Oct. 25, starting well in front of an enthusiastic McCown Gymnasium crowd.
Winona State battled the Bulldogs in a matchup of top NSIC teams, claiming a win in the opening set, 25-18. Unfortunately for the Warriors, UMD was able to find their rhythm as the match wore on, wining the final three sets to escape with a 3-1 victory over WSU.
Key Details: Minnesota Duluth 3, Winona State 1 (25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 18-25)
Attendance: 587
How It Happened
A strong start saw Winona State bring the crowd into the match in set one jumping out to a 4-1 lead. Service aces from
Jaci Winchell and
Kenna Kornely paced the WSU attack out of the gates. A Kornely kill pushed the Warrior advantage to 18-13 midway through the set. To the delight of the Warrior faithful, five straight points to close out the frame saw WSU claim the opening set 25-20, with
Lydia Lange notching two of the final kills.
The second stanza was tightly contested as the two teams traded points from the opening bell. UMD was able to carve out a narrow advantage at 12-11, and then opened their margin on back-to-back kills.
Jayda Berg notched a kill to stem the tide temporarily, followed by a five-point run that pushed Winona State back in front19-17.
Sidney Paulson contributed two kills and
Gianna Vollrath one in the run. UMD responded with a strong push back however, and took eight of the final ten points to notch the second set victory.
In the third frame, both programs put together long point runs late to create a set that went down to the wire. Neither the Warriors or Bulldogs could open up a lead of more than threr points throughout most of the frame. In the late stages, Winona State reeled off another five-point run, highlighted by outstanding defense at the net by
Taylor Pagel and Sidney Paulsen to give WSU a narrow lead at 20-18. WSU extended their advantage to 23-21 with Lyndia Lange and
Taylor Pagel both notching kills sandwiched around a
Sidney Paulson service ace. However, UMD would find a run of their own and eke out a 25-23 thrid set win.
In the fourth and final set, UMD broke open a 10-10 deadlock with a 7-1 run, pulling away to claim the win. As a team, Winona State was held to a match-low 11 kills in the fourth, as Minnesota Duluth closed out the contest.
Statistical Standouts
Sidney Paulson 14 kills, 4 blocks
Lydia Lange, 10 kills
Jaci Winchell, 33 assists
Kenna Kornely, 16 digs, 3, blocks, 2 service aces
Rylee Vaughn, 18 digs
Beyond the Boxscore
Minnesota Duluth's Cianna Selbitschka recorded her 1,000 kill in the third set of the match.
With the setback, Winona State saw a two-match winning streak halted by the Bulldogs.
Minnesota Duluth broke snap a two-match losing streak with their win over WSU.
The Warrior crowd of 587 was one of the highest attended contests for Winona State this year.
Up Next
Winona State (16-6, 8-5 NSIC) will host nationally ranked St. Cloud State on Saturday, Oct. 28th at 2 p.m. in an NSIC contest in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
