9/12/06

Volleyball Drops Pair of Matches, Wins Pair; Home Opener on Horizon

Mavericks need only three wins to match last season's total of 12

by Emily Buss
Issue date: 9/12/06
Section: Womens Sports

After splitting its four games this weekend at the Lady Blues Classic in Topeka, Kan., the Minnesota State women's volleyball team is fast approaching its win total from last season.

Now at 9-3, MSU needs just three more victories to match last year's mark, an impressive fact considering MSU hasn't even opened its home schedule yet.

MSU brought a five-game winning streak with them to Kansas, but Emporia State made sure the Mavericks didn't get to six.

Even though MSU beat ESU on paper - holding the advantage in hitting, blocking, and digging - the scoreboard told a different story. The two teams see-sawed throughout the whole match but were unable to come away with a win. The scores of the game were 28-30, 29-31, and 26-30.

"This was a team with a lot of versatility," said head coach Dennis Amundson, "but we just need to work on being able to pull out wins during close games."

Ashley Nachreiner was able to earn a team-high 12 kills. Mandy Reuter used her defensive skills to assist the team with 17 digs while Cassie Wolpern added 10 kills to her impressive 14 digs.

It was the same situation for the following game when the Mavs followed up the first loss with another defeat at the hands of Washburn University. The tournament host swept MSU with scores of 25-30, 30-32, and 28-30.

Cassie Wolpern posted a match-high 17 kills, Wolpern tallied seven digs and Mandy Reuter led the Mavs with 19 digs and also contributed six kills.

"These were very experienced teams and we can compete," Amudson said. "It's about getting the right girls together. That's when we'll really play the best."

MSU opened Day 2 against Fort Hays State, a team in which they had swept in three games at the Nova Southeastern Tournament in Florida. Their efficient and creatively executed plays earned them a 3-0 win over the Tigers with scores of 30-15, 30-12, and 30-28.

Wolpern was able to put down 14 of 22 attempts at the net, which gave her a season-high. Setter Stef Sandstrom also helped the team by assisting in 34 plays.

"The kids did a great job winning," Amundson said. "Their mission is to be a great team, and they are really running with that notion."

*The Mavericks followed up with another sweep over Northwest Missouri State with scores of 30-23, 30-28, and 30-27. Although the game was neck and neck the whole match, the Mavericks were able to find the drive and energy to pull out the win.

Nachreiner tallied 15 kills and also served a career-high seven aces. The Mavs were able to out-serve, out-hit, and defend the net better than their opponents on the last day and walked away with a 2-2 record for the weekend.

The women will compete in their first conference game this coming Tuesday against Concordia-St. Paul at 7:00 pm.

"This will be a tough match against a top-ranked school," Reuter said, "but we are looking forward to competing and hopefully pull out a great win."