WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team improved its mark to 6-0 with wins over Pittsburg State and Emporia State at the Peggy Martin Challenge in Warrensburg, Mo., on Friday. The Dragons beat Pittsburg State, 25-20, 25-22, 18-25, 29-27 and then rallied for a thrilling five-set, 22-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-10 win over Emporia State.

The 6-0 start is MSUM's best since 2005, when the Dragons started 13-0.

In the win over Pitt State, junior Annie Palmquist had 12 kills, while sophomores Kaitlin VanWinkle and Abby Wolpern had 10 each. Freshman Katie Meyers had 24 digs, while junior Sam Sullivan had 19 set assists and sophomore Casie Baer 16.

MSUM won the first set 25-20, thanks to three kills and a .600 hitting percentage from Wolpern. In the second set, things were tied at 16-16 before the Dragons went on a key 6-1 run to build a 22-17 lead. Gruber had two blocks during that stretch while Palmquist had a kill and a block. MSUM went on to win, 25-22.
Pittsburg State won the third set at 25-18. In the fourth set, MSUM battled back from a deficit to earn the win.

"We adjusted well to the style of offense and defense Pittsburg State ran and found a way to rally and win," MSUM head coach Tammy Blake said.

Sophomore Morgan Gradishar had seven kills and 10 digs and junior Maggie Gruber and freshman Brianna Atkins had six kills each win the win over Pitt State.

The second match of the day saw MSUM come back from a two-set deficit to hand Emporia State its first loss of the season. Sullivan had 24 set assists and 14 digs, while Baer had 23 set assists. Meyers had 17 digs for the straight straight match.

The Dragons had a balanced hitting attack with four players recording 12 kills or more: VanWinkle (14), Gruber (14), Wolpern (12) and Palmquist (12).

Facing a two-set deficit, MSUM began its rally in the third. The set was tied at 11-11 before the Dragons outscored the Hornets 7-2 over the next nine points to build an 18-13 lead. Gruber and Palmquist spurred the run with two kills each. Emporia State never got closer than three the rest of the way as MSUM prevailed 25-19.

Leading 9-8, MSUM broke the fourth set open with an 11-5 spurt midway through the set. Five different Dragons had kills during the run, while Baer and Sullivan both had service aces. MSUM never let the lead drop below three on its way to a 25-21 win.

A big early lead proved to be the difference in the decisive fifth set. MSUM stormed out to a 9-3 advantage, with Gradishar serving as a catalyst with three kills.

Emporia State cut the lead to 12-8, but MSUM finished strong as Gruber took the set from Gruber and slammed down a kill to wrap up a 15-10 win.

Gradishar had another solid match with seven kills and 13 digs. VanWinkle had five block assists.

MSUM is back in action at the Peggy Martin Challenge on Saturday. The Dragons will face No. 7 Central Missouri State at noon and conclude with a match against McKendree at 6 p.m.

Notes: The Dragons are now 2-0 in five-set matches this season...MSUM was without starting libero Amber Krenske, who is out with an injury...Central Missouri will be the first ranked team MSUM will face this season.