Box Score (PDF)

THE RUNDOWN
TOPEKA, Kan. – Junior setter Kristan Aduddell and junior right side hitter Sarah Garfield finished with double-doubles while five players recorded at least eight kills to lift Midwestern State to a 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-13, 25-15) season-opening victory over Pittsburg State (Kan.) Friday afternoon at the Washburn Invitational.

Pittsburg State grabbed a 1-0 advantage after a 25-18 first set win as the Mustangs committed six of their 15 service errors for the day in the opening frame while being held to a .056 hitting percentage.

The MSU offense shined over the final three sets, hitting over .400 in the final two frames including a game-high .429 in the fourth set.

In the second set, junior outside hitter Aerielle Edwards came off the bench to provide an offensive spark for the Mustangs, finishing with four kills in the frame to lead Midwestern to a 25-14 win.

Sophomore middle blocker Kiley Beaver paced the Mustangs offense in the third frame with five kills as the Maroon and Gold hit .423 to record a 25-13 victory to go on top, 2-1, in the match after building a 12-4 lead to open the set.

In the fourth set, the Mustangs built another early lead at 7-2 to earn a 25-15 win and clinch the victory with junior middle blocker Addison Semer posting four kills in the final frame.

NOTES
*Sarah Garfield recorded her first career double-double with 12 kills and a career-best 10 digs
*Kristan Aduddell notched the 16th double-double of her career with 38 assists and 11 digs while also tallying a team-high three service aces
*Addison Semer hit a team-best .421 on the afternoon while notching double-digit kills with 10
*Aerielle Edwards and Kiley Beaver each finished with eight kills on the day with Edwards hitting .412 and Beaver .368 for the match
*Meghan Bettis led the Mustangs with 14 digs while also adding eight kills
*Midwestern State hit .273 for the match while holding Pittsburg State to .072
 
STAT OF THE GAME
9 – Midwestern State finished with nine service aces, matching a team best from the 2014 and 2015 seasons

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"I was definitely proud of our performance with it being our first game. We kept reiterating our vision and that we can win this year. It's tough to keep fighting after you lose a set or after any point but they kept believing. We were moving like this beautiful, in-sync unit out there. They're buying into this concept of unity and it showed today." – Head coach Natalie Rawson

UP NEXT
Midwestern faces No. 16 Washburn at 6:30 p.m. inside Lee Arena to conclude the first day of action.