MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team battled tough against No. 4-ranked Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday but fell short to the Mustangs, falling 25-19, 16-25, 25-22, 25-13.

MSUM fell to 10-16 overall and 5-13 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while SMSU improved to 22-4 overall and 16-2 in the league.

Sophomore libero Monica Vega had 22 digs for MSUM while redshirt freshmen setter Makayla Wenzel had 18 set assists and 13 digs. Junior setter Rachel Sanow had 13 assists.

Junior hitter Carly Masloski had 12 kills for MSUM while redshirt freshman hitter Sarah Hagler and freshman hitter Courtney Selbitschka had six each. Junior middle blocker Taylor Liesemeyer had one solo block and three assists.

MSUM hit .053 for the match compared to .195 for SMSU.

The Dragons led 11-7 in the first set but SMSU came back with a 9-3 run to take a 16-14 lead. MSUM was within 20-18 but got no closer and fell 25-19.

MSUM answered with a strong second set. MSUM led 19-15 but scored six of the last seven points to earn a 25-16 win.

Redshirt freshman Ellie Rutten and Liesemeyer each had a kill and a block assist during that run.

The Dragons faced an 11-4 deficit in the third set and battled back to within 22-20 on a Rutten kill. MSUM was within 24-22 after a Masloski kill but a kill from Taylor Reiss finished off a 25-22 SMSU win. The Mustangs built a 19-9 lead in the fourth set on their way to a 25-13 win.

Selbitschka added 14 digs for MSUM while Rutten finished with five kills.

The Dragons wrap up the season on the road next weekend, starting Friday at No. 8 Wayne State in Wayne, Neb.