WINONA, Minn. --- The Winona State volleyball team fell to Minnesota Duluth in three sets on Saturday afternoon at McCown Gymnasium. The Bulldogs won 25-21, 25-11 and 25-19.
Minnesota Duluth improved to 16-1 and 9-0 in NSIC play with the win, while Winona State fell to 2-13 overall and 1-8 in conference play.
Abby Onga led the Warriors with nine kills, while
Callie Carr added six kills on 12 attacks.
Maddie Brown and
Zoe Haan added five kills.
Hailee Peters recorded 16 assists to pace the Warriors' offense, while
Lily Shields controlled the defensive side of the net with eight digs.
The Warriors opened the match with an early lead, taking advantage of a kill from
Abby Ongna and a service ace from
Ellie Bruns to go ahead 4-0. Minnesota Duluth responded to tie the set at 5-5, setting up a back-and-forth battle early in the first set. The two teams traded points before the Bulldogs took a 17-13 lead.
Winona State battled back behind kills from
Maddie Brown and
Gracie Clary to cut the deficit to 17-16. The Warriors kept battling late in the first set, trailing 23-20 after consecutive kills from
Zoe Haan and Ongna, but Minnesota Duluth closed the set 25-21 to take a 1-0 match lead.
Minnesota Duluth controlled the second set, opening with a 6-1 advantage and continuing to build its advantage. The Bulldogs would extend their lead to eight, forcing WSU to take a timeout. Winona State attempted to respond with kills from
Callie Carr and Clary, as well as a service ace from Brown, but Minnesota Duluth maintained control. The Bulldogs held a 20-8 lead late in the set before closing the set 25-11 to take a 2-0 match advantage.
The Warriors responded in the third set, keeping the score close early at 5-4. The teams continued to trade points, with the score tied at 7-7 before the Bulldogs took the advantage. Minnesota Duluth extended the lead with four straight kills, but the Warriors battled back with five straight kills to regain the lead. Minnesota Duluth answered with a run to take a 15-12 lead and maintained its lead late. The Warriors continued to fight, with a Brown service ace helping cut the deficit to 22-19, but the Bulldogs scored the final three points to win the set 25-19 and complete the sweep.
CHECKING THE BOX SCORE
- Minnesota Duluth defeated Winona State 3-1 (25-21, 25-11 and 25-19).
- Onga led WSU with nine kills.
- Carr added nine kills and hit .417.
- Peters recorded 16 assists.
- Shields led the Warriors with eight digs.
- Winona State finished with 29 kills and a .138 hitting percentage.
- The Warriors recorded six total team blocks.
- Winona State recorded five service aces.
- Minnesota Duluth finished with 40 kills and a .315 hitting percentage.
NEWS & NOTES
- Winona State fell to 2-13 overall and 1-8 in NSIC play.
- Minnesota Duluth improved to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in conference play.
UP NEXT
Winona State will return to action Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. battling Minnesota Crookston at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn.
Stay connected with Winona State University Athletics all season long by following the Warriors on social media at @WinonaStateATH (X/Instagram), @winonastatewarriors (YouTube) and Winona State Warrior Athletics (Facebook). Catch full schedules, scores and stories at winonastatewarriors.com.
