CROOKSTON, Minn. -- On Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball bounced back from a defeat the previous night and defeated the University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team in three straight sets. The Dragons took the sets 25-21, 25-18, and 25-15.

With the win, MSUM is now 9-12 on the season and 4-9 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Junior Kaitlin VanWinkle continued her impressive season by leading all players in the match with 13 kills. VanWinkle hit .500 in the match on 26 attack attempts and also added five total blocks. Senior Sam Sullivan added 21 assists and 12 digs in the match. Juniors Abby Wolpern and Amber Krenske led MSUM in digs with 15 each. Sophomore Kelsey Hartkopf had five total blocks in the match as well.

In the first set the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 6-3 lead after a Dragon attack error. The Dragons tied up the score at seven after a Crookston attack error. MSUM took its first lead of the set at 16-15 after another UMC attack error. Four points in a row increased the MSUM lead to 17-15. Senior Maggie Gruber put away the final point of the set on kill from a Sullivan set to make the score 25-21.

The Dragons scored the first four points of the second set, all on blocks. Freshman Claire Grimm had a solo block on the first point, teamed up with VanWinkle for the second point, followed by a VanWinkle solo block, and finally a VanWinkle/freshman Sydney Foss combination to score the fourth point. MSUM increased its lead to eight points at 16-8 after a Gruber kill. Crookston fought back to get back into the set, but the Dragons scored the final point of the set on another Gruber kill, giving MSUM the set 25-18 heading into the break.

The Dragons jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the third set after a Grimm kill and stretched its lead to 19-10 on a block from Hartkopf and Gruber. VanWinkle put away the final three kills of the set and the Dragons took the set 25-15 and the match 3-0.

MSUM will return home to face St. Cloud State on October 24 at 7 p.m. and No.2-ranked Minnesota Duluth on October 25 at 4 p.m. Both games will be played at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.