WINONA, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team capped off a perfect 4-0 week with a pair of nonconference wins Saturday at the Winona State tournament. The Dragons opened the day with a 25-21, 25-16, 25-23 win over Upper Iowa and concluded the day with a 25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 23-25, 15-11 win over host Winona State.

MSUM (4-0) used hitting balance (six players had 20 or more kills at the tournametn) and defense (the team had a 31-15 edge in blocks) to finish unbeaten.

Sophomore Amber Krenske was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording 83 digs in the four matches. Sophomore Kaitlin VanWinkle was also named to the all-tournament team, joining Krenske with that honor.

Sophomore Kaitlin VanWinkle had an excellent match against Upper Iowa, recording 14 kills along with a .500 hitting percentage. She also had four block assists. Junior Maggie Gruber added 11 kills, while sophomore Morgan Gradishar added nine. Junior Annie Palmquist and freshman Brianna Atkins added six each.

"We had a great showing from our middle hitters, Kaitlin VanWinkle and Maggie Gruber," MSUM head coach Tammy Blake said.

Sophomore Casie Baer collected 22 set assists while junior Sam Sullivan added 14. Sophomore Amber Krenske had 17 digs while Gradishar had 11.

The big difference was the Dragons' offensive efficiency. MSUM hit .292 on 123 attempts, compared to just .122 for Upper Iowa (2-1).

MSUM set the tone in the first set, opening on a 10-4 run and never being threatened. The early run was sparked by Gradishar with five kills.

Upper Iowa was within 13-6, but MSUM scored three straight points -- one on a kill by sophomore Abby Wolpern, one on a block by Wolpern and VanWinkle and one on a kill by VanWinkle -- to push the lead to 16-6. The Peacocks made a run to cut the lead to 24-21, but VanWinkle put down a kill to seal a 25-21 win.

The second set followed a similiar pattern as MSUM stormed out to a 10-3 advantage, thanks to serving runs from Baer and Gradishar. Gruber was the hitting catalyst with four kills. The Dragons built their lead to as much as 17-5 and were never threatened in a 25-16 win. MSUM hit an impressive .484 with 17 kills and just two errors.

MSUM led much of the way in the third set, although Upper Iowa erased a 10-4 deficit to tie the set at 15-15. The Dragons responded with a 7-2 run to build a 22-17 advantage. Atkins had two kills during the stretch.

Upper Iowa closed the gap to 24-23, but Gradishar recorded a kill off of a Sullivan assist to secure the 25-23 win and the Dragons' third straight sweep.

The nightcap against Winona Statewas much more challenging, even though it appeared early the Dragons were on their way to a fourth straight sweep.

VanWinkle and Palmquist paced a balanced hitting attack for MSUM with 16 kills each. VanWinkle had just two errors and hit .412 in 34 attacks. Gruber and Wolpern each collected 11 kills while Gradishar had eight. Krenske had a career-high 29 digs. Sullivan had 27 set assists and Baer 26 for MSUM.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the match, the Dragons saw Winona State rally to win the third and fourth sets to set up a decisive fifth set.

MSUM was down 3-1 in the final set b ut scored the next five pionts to take a 6-3 lead. That crucial run was sparked by a service run from Baer and kills from Gradishar, Gruber and Atkins.

The Dragons maintained the lead for much of the rest of the set, although Winona State battled back within 11-10. MSUM weathered the storm, however and kills from Gruber and Gradishar accounted for the final two points in a 15-11 win.

In the first set, MSUM held a 15-12 lead but closed the set on a 10-5 run to earn a 25-17 win. VanWinkle had five kills while Palmquist had four during the opening set.

MSUM seized control of the second set early. Leading 6-5, the Dragons scored seven straight points to build a 13-5 lead. Palmquist was the spark during that run with four kills. MSUM was never threatened on its way to a 25-18 win.

Winona State came back to win the next two sets to set up a decisive fifth set.

Gradishar continued her solid early-season play with eight kills and 13 digs. Sullivan had 12 digs and Baer 11, while freshman Katie Meyers had 10.

MSUM is back on the road next weekend at the Central Missouri Tournament. The Dragons will open on Friday against PIttsburg State.