On Friday, November 30, the Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team’s record-setting season was ended by the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, who were the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Mustangs fell in four sets, 21-25, 18-25, 28-26, and 14-25.
Errors and a low hitting percentage were the downfall for the Mustangs; as a team, they committed 28 errors and had a total hitting percentage of .173. Meanwhile, the Lopers committed just 11 errors and had a .282 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs had three players with double-doubles. McKell Anderson ended with 14 kills and 11 digs, while Brooke Burmeister racked up 12 kills and 15 digs. Emilee Gutzmer finished with 52 assists and 12 digs. Rachel Westby ended the night with 15 kills, while Whitney Burmeister had 13.
A tough Loper defense set the Mustangs back in the first set. The Mustangs never led in the set, but fought their way to three ties. At one point in the set, the Mustangs closed their deficit to 20-18, but the Lopers put up a wall, not allowing any kills and taking the match 21-25. They ended the set with 10 errors and a .077 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs fell into a 6-1 deficit early in the second set. They simply could not muster any momentum and allowed the Lopers to rack up a 12-6 lead. The pressure from the Lopers was simply too much, and the Mustangs fell 18-25 in the second set.
Despite jumping to an early 2-0 lead, the Lopers could not handle a late surge from the Mustangs, who converted on their first chance to take the set. A kill by Abbey Thissen sealed the match for the Mustangs, who won 28-26.
The energy from the third set simply didn’t carry over into the fourth set, as the Mustangs fell into an early 11-7 deficit. Despite their efforts, the Mustangs couldn’t recover, as the Lopers took the fourth set 14-25, ultimately taking the match as well.
The Mustangs ended their season with an overall record of 30-3, which is the most wins in a single season since 1991.