MARSHALL, Minn. - The Winona State University volleyball team fell on the road to nationally-ranked Southwest Minnesota State, 3-0 on Friday, Nov. 10.
Playing in front of over 1,100 fans in the PE Center, the Warriors battled in each frame against the No. 6 ranked Mustangs.
NSIC All-Conference honoree
Sidney Paulson led WSU with nine kills, but the Mustangs could pull away from the Warriors in all three sets.
How it happened
The opening stanza saw WSU tally three blocks as a team, matching SMSU's defensive output in the set. The Warriors mirrored the Mustangs point-for-point in the first part of the set until Southwest Minnesota State used a three-point burst to stake a narrow lead at 15-11. SMSU would claim six of the final seven points to take the set, 25-20.
In the second frame, Southwest Minnesota State jumped out to an 11-5 advantage early on. Winona State would close the gap to 12-10 in the middle of the set, claiming four of five points to move to within three at 13-10. A
Lydia Lange kill off a set from
Ashlyn Steding started the WSU run. After SMSU built a solid lead at 24-18, WSU would stave off the Mustangs thanks to kills from Lange,
Sidney Paulson, and
Gianna Vollrath. However, SMSU would eventually claim the 25-21 second set win.
In the third stanza, Winona State saw Southwest Minnesota State pull away with an eight-point run to break open the frame. WSU would enjoy a five-point run later, with
Kenna Kornely claiming a pair of kills to claw back into the set. Ultimately, SMSU would take three of the final four points to win the set 25-17, and the match, 3-0.
WSU Stat Standouts
Sidney Paulson, 9 kills
Kenna Kornely, 7 kills
Lydia Lange, 6 blocks
Taylor Pagel, 5 blocks
Rylee Vaughn, 22 digs
Jayda Berg, 7 kills
Ashley Steding, 14 assists
Jaci Winchell, 12 assists
Beyond the box score
The loss to the Mustangs snapped a two-match WSU winning streak.
The Mustangs have claimed the last four matchups versus Winona State.
WSU last beat SMSU on Oct. 15, 2021.
Up Next
Winona State (18-8, 10-7 NSIC) will finish off the back half of their final NSIC regular season weekend taking on the University of Sioux Falls. WSU and USF will see first serve at 2 p.m.
