Box Score
MARSHALL, MINN.: Kasey Loeslie had a match-high 23 kills to lead No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State to a 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-4) conference victory over Winona State Friday night in Marshall.
The Mustangs improve to 19-2 (8-1, NSIC), while the Warriors drop to 7-11 (5-4, NSIC).
Loeslie anchored a balanced SMSU hitting attack that included four Mustangs who reached double digits in the kills column. The freshman duo of
Maggie Geske and
Devin Diedrich killed 14 balls each, while south paw
Tory Brouwer added 13.
Sarah Quiram led SMSU's defensive attack with 20 digs, but the senior received help from a trio of Mustangs as
Sara Graf, Geske and
Brittany Wenzel were all in double digits and combined for 38 digs.
Graf finshed the match with 57 assists and directed an offense that hit an efficient .238 on the night.
SMSU looked unstoppable in the opening set, jumping out to an early lead and never trailing the Warriors for the remainder of the set. However, WSU used a five-point run midway through the second set to even the match at 1-1.
WSU was poised to take the fourth set and match, and with the set tied at 23-23, Kerry Daly tipped two sure Warrior points out of bounds to give the Mustangs a two-point advantage and the set victory.
SMSU exploded on a 7-0 run to open the fifth and final set, never allowing the Warriors to get within nine points. The hot start was ignited by a pair of blocks from Loeslie and Hegerle.
Jenna Padley's 13 kills and Shannon McGowan's 22 digs led the Warriors.
SMSU finishes of its pair of home weekend matches tomorrow at 3 p.m. as conference-opponent Upper Iowa visits the PE Gym in Marshall.