Box Score
WINONA, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team fell on the road Saturday, dropping a 28-26, 25-17, 25-22 decision at NSIC foe Winona State. The Dragons fell to 12-8 overall and 4-7 in the league, while Winona improved to 17-4 overall and 9-2 in the conference.

Senior libero Katy Ness had 27 digs, while sophomore Annie Palmquist had nine kills. Senior Heidi Lensing and sophomore Maggie Gruber each had eight kills. Senior Anna Olson had 17 set assists while freshman Casie Baer added 14.

MSUM hit just .156 for the match, compared to .245 for Winona State.

The Dragons and Warriors fought hard in a marathon first set, which had 12 ties and six lead changes. MSUM was down 17-14 at one point but scored five of the next seven points to tie the set at 19-19. Senior Meredith Egeland had a block, set assist and kill during that stretch, while freshman Kaitlin VanWinkle had a kill.

MSUM was down 24-21 but scored three straight -- which included kills from Gruber and Palmquist -- to tie the set at 24-24. The Dragons had a set point at 26-25 after a Lensing kill, but Winona scored the final three points to earn a 28-26 win.

The Dragons fell behind early in the second set and never fully recovered. They trailed 7-2 at one point and cut the gap to 11-9 on a kill by freshman Abby Wolpern. MSUM was within 16-14 before Winona scored five straight points to stretch its lead to 21-14. The Dragons never got closer and fell 25-17.

In the third set, MSUM took an 8-7 lead when Egeland and Palmquist teamed up for a block; however, Winona State answered with a 6-2 run to take a 13-10 lead. MSUM was within 20-18 after a Palmquist kill but did not get closer than three the rest of the way as Winona prevailed, 25-22.

MSUM returns home Tuesday to face Northern State. The Dragons will play eight of their last nine matches at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.