BOX SCORE

MARSHALL, Minn. - The No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State volleyball team swept No. 3 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday afternoon winning 28-26, 25-18, 25-13. SMSU improved to 11-1 overall, 4-1 in NSIC play, while UMD suffers its first loss of the season; dropping the Bulldogs to 13-1 overall, 4-1 in NSIC play.

SMSU's 11-1 start to a season matches the 2008 squad for the best start to a season after 12 matches.  The 2008 team would eventually start the season 13-1.

For the second consecutive match, SMSU’s offense was very efficient as the Mustangs slammed 46 kills to go with a .301 hitting percentage and only 15 errors. Brooke Burmeister recorded her third double-double of the season as she amassed 12 kills and 11 digs to go with an impressive .435 hitting percentage. Abbey Thissen was strong in the match as well as she managed double-digits kills with 10 to go with a .389 hitting percentage. Balancing out the Mustang attack was McKell Anderson with eight kills, while Mary Groth and Devin Diedrich each had seven.

The first set was an exciting match for the home crowd as two of the top teams in the country went back-and-forth for the entire set. There were 12 tied scores and six lead changes in the set. UMD’s Kate Lange was dominating in the set as she quickly recorded eight kills and eight digs. UMD would trail early, 8-6, but the Bulldogs used eight straight points to take a 14-8 lead. The Mustangs would force a 19-19 tie with some key blocks and big kills by Thissen and Burmeister. SMSU would eventually take the first set 28-26 on a Monica Turner attack error. 

In the second set, SMSU would hit .364 as a team while UMD only managed to hit .211. The Mustangs were able to shut down UMD’s and NSIC kill leader, Kate Lange, as she would only manage five kills in the last two sets. Lange did manage to record a double-double though, as she finished with 13 kills on 40 attacks with 12 digs.

The third set was all Mustangs as SMSU hit .409 in the set and held UMD to a -.071hitting percentage. SMSU would race out to an 8-3 lead and never look back as the Mustangs took the set in convincing fashion 25-13. The win was the first time SMSU had swept UMD since September 11, 2009 in Marshall.

So far this season, SMSU has defeated four ranked teams, sweeping all but one. The Mustangs will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 25, as they travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on Augustana in a non-conference match.