COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Midwestern State lost a five-set match for the second consecutive day at Gallogly Events Center as South Dakota Mines kept the Mustangs winless in the Mountain Lion Classic. The Hardrockers closed out the event on Saturday night with a 3-2 victory over Midwestern State, which was swept by Michigan Tech earlier in the day. MSU lost a five-setter to St. Edward's and fell to UCCS 3-1 in its two matches on Friday..
Michigan Tech 3, Midwestern State 0
Midwestern State was swept by Michigan Tech 17-25, 20-25, 24-26. The Mustangs finished with 35 kills and a .134 hitting percentage, while the Huskies totaled 44 kills and hit .240.
MSU could not recover from MTU's early separation in a 25-17 first-set loss, falling behind 10-2 before answering with short scoring stretches. Aubree Bunker put the Maroon & Gold on the board with a kill from Maxime Pheasant, and Isabella Dickens later had a block assist before the Huskies built their early margin behind service pressure and Rachel Zurek attacks. The Mustangs responded with three straight points from 10-2, including a Jaiden Wright kill from Macy Scheer, and later cut into the deficit again with Remi Madison's service ace and consecutive points around Nyle Mathis' work at the net. Mathis added a kill and teamed with Dickens on a block during another MSU push, while Dickens and TaNia Penn supplied late kills as the Stangs reached 17 points. MTU closed the set by taking the final five points after the Mustangs were within 20-17, finishing the opening set at 25-17.
The Huskies erased MSU's early lead and scored the final four points of the second set to hand the Mustangs a 25-20 loss. Earlier, the Maroon & Gold opened with a 6-2 advantage behind a Madison kill and service ace, a Mathis kill from Scheer and multiple MTU setting errors. The Huskies pulled even at 9-9 before Penn answered with a kill, but the visitors moved ahead 12-10 and forced MSU to keep responding through kills from Wright, Mathis, Dickens, Bunker and Madison. The Mustangs stayed within reach late, getting a Wright kill from Scheer to make it 21-20, but MTU followed with kills from Rachel Zurek, Keeley Nellis and Reagan Lesley around an MSU attack error to finish the set.
The Maroon & Gold earned a set point at 24-23 on a Bunker kill from Scheer, but the Huskies scored the last three rallies to take the third set 26-24. Earlier, MSU answered a 4-1 deficit by winning seven of the next eight points, with Mathis starting the push and Bunker and Wright adding kills as the home side moved ahead 8-5. MTU came back to lead 15-13, and the Mustangs responded again with back-to-back Bunker kills and a Tricia Kennedy attack error to go in front 16-15. Madison added consecutive MSU kills later in the set, and Mathis tied it at 22-22 before Bunker's two late kills gave the Maroon & Gold their final chance.
Bunker led MSU with 10 kills while hitting .381 and added six digs. Scheer finished with 20 assists and five digs. Jenna Redding collected a team-high 14 digs. Dickens added four kills and three blocks, including one solo block.
South Dakota Mines 3, Midwestern State 2
Midwestern State lost to South Dakota Mines 3-2, falling 25-23, 20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 10-15. The Mustangs finished with 63 kills and eight aces, while the Hardrockers hit .309 to MSU's .219 and held a 9-3 edge in blocks.
The Mustangs finished the first set by winning the final three points, turning a 23-22 deficit into a 25-23 win on an SDM service error, a Remi Madison kill from Jenna Redding and Jaiden Wright's block. Earlier, MSU opened with kills from Wright, Aubree Bunker and Isabella Dickens, each set by Macy Scheer, before the Hardrockers worked back and moved ahead 13-11. After trailing 13-12, the Mustangs scored four straight points on Maxime Pheasant's serve, including Bunker kill, Pheasant ace, Dickens kill from Pheasant and an opponent attack error, to go in front 16-13. SDM tied the set at 17-17 and later led 23-22, but the Maroon & Gold answered with the closing three-point push to take the set 25-23.
MSU recovered from multiple deficits and briefly moved in front 14-13 in the second set, but the Hardrockers answered late to take the set 25-20. Earlier, after falling behind 5-1, Bunker and Dickens delivered kills around a Redding service ace to pull the Mustangs even, and an attacking error by SDM gave MSU a 7-6 lead. The Hardrockers rebuilt a 12-8 advantage before the Maroon & Gold responded again, using a Dickens kill, a Wright-TaNia Penn block assist, a Dickens ace and an SDM setting error to tie the set at 12-12. Madison later put the Mustangs ahead 14-13 with a kill from Scheer, but the Hardrockers moved back in front and stretched the margin to 24-19 before Madison's late kill preceded the final point.
The Mustangs secured a 26-24 third-set win after withstanding SDM's late push to set point. Earlier, after the Hardrockers opened at 3-1, MSU answered with four straight points on kills by Bunker, Dickens and Bunker twice to move ahead 5-3. Dickens later served the Maroon & Gold from 7-6 to 10-6 with two SDM errors around her ace, and the Stangs continued to get points from Bunker, Wright, Nyle Mathis and Dickens while Savannah Cummings added an ace for a 21-17 lead. The Hardrockers responded after the Mustangs led 22-18, winning six of the next seven points to go ahead 24-23, but MSU closed with a service error, Penn's kill from Redding and a final attack error.
The Mustangs cut into a 13-7 fourth-set deficit and got within one at 15-14, using kills from Madison, Wright and Bunker along with an SDM service error and two attack errors. Earlier, Wright supplied MSU's first point, Pheasant added a service ace and Giselle Cazares served an ace that tied the set at 6-6 after kills by Bunker and Madison. After the Maroon & Gold reached 15-14, the Hardrockers scored three straight, but Dickens, Bunker and Madison recorded kills as the Mustangs stayed within 19-17. SDM then won four straight points to move ahead 23-17, and MSU got late kills from Madison and Penn before the Rockers took the set 25-19.
The Mustangs made their main push after falling behind 7-2, cutting the gap to 11-9 behind kills from Dickens and Madison and a Dickens service ace. Earlier, MSU answered the Hardrockers' opening run with kills from Dickens, Wright and Mathis, but SDM kept the margin at four points or more through 11-7. Penn and Madison added late kills to keep the Maroon & Gold within reach at 12-10, but the Hardrockers scored the final three points. SDM took the fifth set 15-10.
Bunker led the Mustangs with 19 kills and 19.5 points while hitting .293. Dickens added 13 kills, three service aces and 16.5 points. Scheer finished with a team-high 29 assists. Pheasant recorded 22 assists, 12 digs and two service aces.
Up next, the Mustangs host Bethel (Kan.) on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. in Wichita Falls, Texas.
