GOLDEN, Colo. – Behind double-double performances from sophomore outside hitter Meghan Bettis and freshman setter Hayden Blair, the Midwestern State volleyball team posted their first victory of the season Friday evening with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-21) win over Pace (N.Y.) at the Oredigger Classic.

After suffering a 3-1 defeat in the season opener to Colorado Christian earlier in the day, Bettis and Blair helped the Mustangs (1-1) avoid a second defeat on day one. Bettis recorded a team-best 16 kills while adding 13 digs to her stat sheet, and Blair dished out 41 assists and finished with 18 digs to wrap up her first day of collegiate competition.

"Once we got over the nerves and started to settle into a rhythm, the training they've put in really started to show," said head coach Natalie Rawson. "It was a great first day - first loss and first win. We learned a lot from both. This is just the beginning of our journey."

Pace (0-2) claimed a 25-19 first set win due to a late 8-0 run that put the Setters up 22-15 on the Mustangs. Pace's Kathleen Benson and Mira Wallace sparked the Setters rally with Benson recording three blocks, one solo, and Wallace teaming up with her on two blocks.

In the second set, the Setters jumped out to a 6-1 lead before kills by Bettis and freshman middle blocker Kiley Beaver helped the Mustangs pull within one.

A ball handling error on Pace gave Midwestern its first lead of the set at 19-18. Bettis then paced the Mustangs in the final stretch, recording three kills while Beaver rejected Pace's Samantha Marquez to cap off a 25-21 second set victory.

The Setters came out firing at the beginning of the third, taking a 10-4 advantage before a Bettis kill allowed MSU to stage an 8-1 spurt to move in front at 12-11. The teams were neck-and-neck the remainder of the set before a kill by Bettis and a Pace attack error gave the Mustangs a 26-24 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth, Pace began to pull away midway through the frame by taking a 16-12 advantage. However, a kill by Blair began an 8-0 run with the Mustangs receiving contributions from Bettis, junior outside hitter Cody Moore and sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Addison Semer.

The Setters were unable to even up the match again as a kill by Blair gave the Mustangs a 25-21 set win to end the match.

Beaver finished with nine kills and six blocks while Semer added eight kills and seven blocks for MSU. Junior libero Madelyn Johnson recorded a team-high 20 digs to lead the Mustangs defensively.

Midwestern will take on Minnesota State-Moorhead in an 11 a.m. match tomorrow before concluding the Oredigger Classic against host and eighth-ranked Colorado Mines at 3 p.m.