Volleyball | 10/23/2015 10:12:00 PM
Box Score MARSHALL, Minn. – For the second time in four days, the the Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team battled a team ranked in the top five in the nation to five sets. The Dragons fought hard but fell to No. 5-ranked Southwest Minnesota State University Friday night in five sets, 26-28, 21-25, 25-18, 25-13, and 15-11 in action in Marshall, Minn.
The Dragons are now 12-9 on the year and 5-8 in the tough Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Mustangs are 18-3 overall and 11-2 in conference play.
MSUM was led by middle blocker Carly Masloski's 16 kills while senior middle blocker Kaitlin VanWinkle and senior right side hitter Abby Wolpern posted 12 kills apiece. Senior setter Casie Baer handed out 45 set assists and had 15 digs and redshirt freshman defensive specialist Monica Vega added 17 digs on the evening. Junior middle blocker Kelsey Hartkopf led the Dragons with six total blocks while VanWinkle added four more. The tone was set for the evening right away in set one as there were 12 ties and nine lead changes. The Dragons gained their largest lead of the set at 13-9 on a kill from Hartkopf. The Mustangs clawed their way back and tied the game and took a 21-20 lead before a huge block from Masloski and Hartkopf stunted their run and tied the game at 21. MSUM took a 27-26 lead on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Claire Grimm before putting the set away on an attack error by the Mustangs. The Dragons would take set one 28-26. Set two was tied at five before a huge kill by Masloski gave the Dragons the lead at 6-5. The set was tied again at 16 before Masloski came up with another kill on the night, bringing the score to 17-16. After a timeout from Moorhead, senior libero Amber Krenske gave the Dragons a service ace and a 24-21 lead. The Dragons took the second set, 25-21 on an error by SMSU. After the Mustangs took sets three and four, the Dragons battled hard for the fifth set and the match win. MSUM got back-to-back kills by Grimm and Hartkopf to tie the set at three before the Mustangs went on a three point run and from which the Dragons wouldn't be able to come back from. The Dragons would bring the set within two at 12-10 on a kill from Wolpern, but the Mustangs would go on to score three of the next four points to take the set 15-11, and the game, 3-2.
The Dragons are back on the road Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Sioux Falls.
