FOREST CITY, Iowa – Junior hitter Carly Masloski had 17 kills to lead the Minnesota State University Moorhead volleyball team to a 25-11, 27-25, 25-20 win over Mount Mercy in action at the Country Inn and Suites Invitational Saturday in Forest City, Iowa. The win gave MSUM a sweep on the day as the Dragons lost a hard-fought five-set contest to Central Methodist, 25-21, 24-26, 12-25, 26-24, 15-11.

MSUM is now 3-1 on the day.

In the win over Mount Mercy, Masloski hit .367 on 30 attack attempts. Redshirt freshman Ellie Rutten had 11 kills while freshman hitter Courtney Selbitschka had eight. Sophomore libero Monica Vega had 12 digs while Rutten had 11. Redshirt freshman Makayla Wenzel had 36 set assists while freshman Kaylin Jenkins had six block assists and a solo block.

MSUM hit .255 for the match compared to .041 for Mount Mercy.

The success started early for MSUM as the Dragons took a 12-4 lead in the first set.  Masloski had two kills during that stretch while redshirt freshman Sarah Hagler had a service ace and a kill. From there, the Dragons cruised to a 25-11 win. Masloski had six kills in the first set alone.

The Dragons trailed much of the second set, including by as many as six points, before battling back late. They trailed 25-24 but scored three points in a row – one a kill from Masloski, another on a block from Jenkins and the last on a kill by Selbitschka – to earn a 27-25 win.

The third set was similar to the first as MSUM led the whole way, although Mount Mercy climbed within 22-20 late in the set. However, Jenkins and Masloski teamed up for a block to make it 23-20, and back-to-back errors by Mount Mercy gave the Dragons a 25-20 win.

Earlier in the day the Dragons lost a tough five-set contest to Central Methodist. Wenzel had 53 set assists while Vega had a career-high 37 digs. Rutten had 17 kills, followed by 16 from Masloski and 11 from Hagler. Senior Katie Meyers and Wenzel each had 14 digs while Hagler had six block assists and a solo block.

After losing the first set, MSUM came back to win the second set 26-24, rallying from a 24-22 deficit with a 4-0 run to close the set. Masloski had a kill and Rutten and Jenkins teamed up for a block during that stretch.

The Dragons dominated the third set, building a 16-5 lead and never looking back in a 25-12 win. Masloski had four kills while Rutten had three.
Central Methodist won a tough 26-24 fourth set to set up a deciding fifth set.  The set was tied at 9-9 before Central Methodist scored six of the last nine points to earn a 15-11 win.

MSUM continues nonconference play on Sept. 9-10 at the Wisconsin-Parkside tournament.