Number four ranked SMSU Mustangs defeated number seven ranked Winona State University Warriors on Saturday Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. in the P.E. Gym.

SMSU is 13-3 overall and 7-1 in the NSIC South.

Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Reiss and Junior Middle Blocker Eisha Oden made three consecutive kills to down the Warriors 3-0.

Winona battled back to tie the game before a kill from junior setter Megan Larson and junior middle blocker Eisha Oden put SMSU in the lead to stay. The final score of the first set was 25-20 Mustangs.

In set number two, it was Winona State that came out swinging going up 5-0 before a kill from Reiss put points on the board for the Mustangs. SMSU kept fighting and eventually tied it with a kill from Reiss. The score was tied again at 8-8, but Winona State proved too much for the Mustangs, winning the set 25-17.   

Set number three was a battle by both teams. SMSU took the early lead but the Warriors quickly answered. Reiss, Oden, Larson, sophomore outside hitter Kaylee Burmeister, and senior middle blocker Sarah Parker each had kills for the Mustangs. Although there were five ties in the set, the Warriors maintained the lead and won 25-16.

It was do or die in set number four for SMSU trailing 2-1 at home. The Mustangs showed the Warriors why they are ranked number four. The Mustangs had the Warriors down 7-3 before the Warriors took a timeout. The Warriors battled back to tie the score at eleven a piece before Parker put the Mustangs up 12-11. The Warriors tied it at 12 and again at 20 before SMSU finally won the set 25-22.

Tied at 2-2 Reiss got an early lead for the Mustangs in set number 5. The score was back and forth and tied many times until a call prompted Mustangs Coach Terry Culhane to have a lengthy conversation with the referee. It was a pivotal point in the game because the Mustangs were down 14-12. Culhane clearly knew what he was doing as the team was able to battle back and tie it at 14. With the game tied at 18, Parker was able to crush one to take the lead 19-18 which led to a 20-18 win in the fifth set.

“We continued to perservere, we finally got a chance to get a last swing at somebody to end it” said Culhane. “I think we fought hard to get to that point. And then it’s about making plays at the end of the game.”

SMSU beat Winona State in every statistic execept for aces in which they tied at four apiece. Leaders in kills were Reis with 25, Parker with 18, and Oden with 16.  Burmeister added 10 kills of her own.

The Mustangs improved to 14-3 overall and 8-1 in the NSIC South with Saturday’s win. The Mustangs will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 14 at Concordia St. Paul (16-1) and again on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Minnesota State University Mankato (9-8).