Box Score CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota, Crookston for the second-straight match took the first set but was unable to find the win column as Minnesota State University, Moorhead triumphed in a high octane meeting between the two conference rivals just 70 miles apart. The Golden Eagles fall to 7-9 (3-6 NSIC) and are currently on a six-match losing streak with their last win coming Sept. 18 against Bemidji State University. MSU Moorhead improves to 12-6 (4-5 NSIC) with the win.

After being down 20-16 early in the first set, UMC rallied to take the set 26-24 for their seventh set victory this season in which they came back to win after the opposing team was the first to reach 20 points. Amanda Swann (Sr., OH, Rochester Hills, Mich.) led the team with four kills and hit .273 for the set while Alexandra Skeeter (Jr., OH, Milwaukee, Wis.) added three and hit .286 and Katie Miedtke (Jr., MH, Maple Grove, Minn.) had three kills and hit .375. Brittany Looker (So., OH, Rochester, Minn.) also had three kills. Paige Mitchell (R-Jr., S, West Palm Beach, Fla.) led the squad in the set with eight assists while Looker paced the defense with seven digs.

After winning the first set, UMC was bested in the second set as the Golden Eagles hit .262 to the Dragons'  .395 attack percentage in the second set as MSU Moorhead won 25-17.

In the third set the two team's played a back-and-forth frame until MSU Moorhead took three of the last four points after being knotted 22-22 using a Miedtke attack error and kills from Meredith Egeland and Kaitlin VanWinkle. UMC hit .314 compared to MSU Moorhead's .267 in the third frame despite the loss.

The fourth set saw the Dragons outhit the Golden Eagles .273 to .191 and take the set 25-21 despite a late comeback attempt from UMC.

The Golden Eagles were very balanced on the night as four players had double-figure kills. Skeeter paced the team with 12 kills and added a double-double with 21 digs. Skeeter hit .360 for the match. Her 21 digs marked the first UMC player not named Chelsea Wiesner (Jr., Lib., Rochester, Minn.) to have over 20 digs this season. Looker also added 12 kills while Swann chipped in 10 kills, as did Miedtke. Both Mitchell and Lindsey Rees (R-Jr., S, Bronson, Mich.) had over 20 assists as Mitchell finished with 29 and Rees had 20 to lead UMC to a .219 attack percentage.

Defensively, five players had double-figure digs as the Golden Eagles finished with 97 digs on the night. Wiesner led the team with a season-high 27 while Skeeter added 21, Looker chipped in 18 to complete her ninth double-double of the year, Mitchell chipped in 12 and Swann finished with 10. Mitchell and Swann also claimed double-doubles for the match.

MSU Moorhead finished the match hitting .250. Four players had double-figure kills led by Annie Palmquist with 17 and Heidi Lensing with 16. Egeland and Maggie Gruber also surpassed the 10-kill mark. Anna Olson had 54 assists on the match.

Defensively, Katy Ness paced the Dragons with 25 digs while four other players also reached double-figures for the category.

The Golden Eagles continue to be winless against MSU Moorhead in the Lee Anderson era. They last defeated MSU Moorhead Oct. 30, 2004 and are 1-28 all-time against their NSIC foes.

UMC will look to get back on track as they continue a five-match home stand with matches against University of Sioux Falls Friday and Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday. SMSU came into the weekend ranked No. 2 nationally.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics Web site at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
                                       
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