WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State played 12 matches on the road before getting a chance to play at home, but it was a memorable night for the more than 750 Mustang fans that attended the home opener at D.L. Ligon Coliseum.

After dropping a closely contested first set, Midwestern State rallied to win a five-set thriller against St. Edwards, 23-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-14, 16-14. The Mustangs improve to 3-10 with a 1-0 record in the Lone Star Conference. St. Edwards is 3-9 with an 0-1 mark in the conference.

The Hilltoppers won 8-of-10 points early in the fifth set to take a 9-4 lead over MSU. After Midwestern State head coach Stephanie Radecki called time out, the Mustangs came storming back. Sadie Portmann had two kills in a pivotal four-point run as the Maroon and Gold tied the decisive set, 13-13. St. Edwards earned a match point after a kill from Caroline Swann, but a bad set by Lourdes Gomez gave MSU the serve at 14-14.

Alex Serna had two service aces to close out the match for Midwestern State. Portmann finished with 17.5 points for the Mustangs and her sixth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 15 digs.

Taylor Anderson hit .294 with 14 kills and posted 15.5 points in the victory, including one of the 10 aces for MSU. Portmann and Serna each had three aces for MSU. Serna put down nine kills and had two blocks en route to 13.5 points. Robyn White finished with 12 kills. Regan Willms had 31 assists, and Autumn Roach added 24 assists in the victory for Midwestern State.

Midwestern forced the decisive fifth set by coasting to a 25-14 victory in a must-win fourth set. After falling behind 5-4 early in the set, the Mustangs won 9-of-10 points to take a 14-6 lead. Portmann won five-straight service points during the run for MSU. Midwestern State used a five-point run to take a 23-13 lead. Portmann had two kills and a block over the final seven points of the penultimate set.

A kill by Aaliyah Burras gave Midwestern State a 13-8 lead in the first set, but the Mustangs were unable to sustain the advantage in a well-played set. St. Edward's hit .371 in the first set, and MSU had a .324 attack percentage in the opening frame. The Hilltoppers won five of the last six points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

St. Edwards won the first four points of the second set, but the Mustangs enjoyed a 19-9 run before the Hilltoppers reeled off four straight points to move within two points of MSU late in the set. A kill by Burras, gave MSU set point. Willms won her serve on a Maya Smalls ball handling error, and the match was tied, 1-1.

Burras had eight kills and two blocks in the victory. Kelli Ell hit .227 with seven kills for Midwestern State. The Mustangs only managed to hit .075 in the third set and fell behind, 2-1, in the match.

Midwestern State returns to D.L. Ligon Coliseum Saturday for a duel with St. Mary's. The match is scheduled to begin at noon. Read Full Article