WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University volleyball team entered their match on Thursday night against the University of Sioux Falls in the 'Receiving Votes' category of the current AVCA NCAA Division II Coaches poll. They finished the match against the Cougars with something even more valuable: an NSIC win.
Winona State dispatched USF 3-1 to open play with a victory in one of the toughest NCAA Division II volleyball leagues in the country. It wasn't easy, as the Cougars battled back to take the third set following a dominant WSU performance in sets one and two. The Warriors closed out the match with a 25-19 set four scoreline.
KEY DETAILS:
Final Score - Winona State 3, USF 2 (25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 25-19).
Attendance: 443
HOW IT HAPPENED
Gianna Vollrath knocked out 14 kills to lead the Winona State attack and
Jaci Winchell racked up 44 assists over the four-set affair as WSU pulled away in the fourth set to close out the Cougars.
Set one was contested closely throughout, with WSU racing out to 5-1 lead early on. USF used a five-point push of their own to claw back into the frame midway through. After falling behind 21-20, the Warriors responded by taking six of the final seven points for the 25-22 victory in the opening stanza. A
Kylie Welch service ace and a kill by
Jayda Berg completed the rally back for
Joe Getzin's team.
Set two saw Winona State outpace USF from the start, owning leads of 17-11 and 23-14 throughout the stanza.
Taylor Pagel and
Lydia Lange claimed key points in the final three serves to seal the win in the most lopsided of the four sets.
Coming out of the locker room for the third frame, USF climbed back into the match with a 25-18 win in set three. The Cougars had three different three-point runs to stretch their lead as Winona State worked to regain their form.
The Warriors moved back into the drivers seat for set four, jumping out to a 7-2 lead thanks in part to a pair of service aces by
Kylie Welch. WSU would hold the Cougars at bay the rest of the way, reeling off five of the last seven points in the contest. A kill by
Lydia Lange put the match home for Winona State and vaulted them to 1-0 in the NSIC.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
While Winona State played four teams for the first time ever in their early-season tune-ups, WSU and USF have faced off 15 times since 2011. With the win, the Warriors moved to 14-15 over that time vs. the Cougars.
USF had already knocked off one team in the AVCA Receiving Votes category this season, but WSU denied the Cougars a second shot at that honor. Winona State is one of six NSIC teams in the AVCA weekly rankings.
Tonight's match marks the ninth straight year that Winona State's first home match was also their NSIC opener. The last time WSU played a non-conference match at home before NSIC play was 2013, when they hosted four matches before the league slate.
WINONA STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Kills:
Gianna Vollrath, 14;
Sidney Paulson, 12;
Taylor Pagel, 11.
Aces:
Kylie Welch, 3;
Rylee Vaughn, 1;
Anna Hennessy, 1.
Blocks:
Taylor Pagel, 8;
Jayda Berg, 6;
Jaci Winchell, 2.
Assists:
Jaci Winchell, 44;
Rylee Vaughn, 4;,
Kylie Welch, 1.
Digs:
Jaci Winchell, 15;
Rylee Vaughn, 13;
Anna Hennessy, 8.
University of Sioux Falls TOP PERFORMERS
Sadie Voss, 12 Kills
Elise Gillen, 23 Assists
Caitlin Kellner, Digs
UP NEXT:
Winona State (8-1, 1-0 NSIC) travels west to NSIC rival Minnesota State to take on the Mavericks in Mankato on Saturday, Sept. 6. Match time in in the Taylor Center is set for 2 p.m.
