MANKATO, Minn. –  The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team snapped a five-game skid as they defeated Minnesota State University, Mankato 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22) on the road in Mankato, Minn. The win marks the first-ever win on the road against a historically strong Maverick team. UMC has defeated the Mavericks three times in the last four years. The Golden Eagles improve to 8-7 (2-5 NSIC) with the win. Minnesota State falls to 9-5 (5-2 NSIC) with Friday night's loss.

The Golden Eagles had a balaned attack on the night led by Brittany Looker (Sr., OH, Rochester, Minn./Health Science), who had 14 kills and hit .135 on the night. Kassi Green (R-Fr., RS, Anoka, Minn./Elementary Education) had one of the best games of her season with 12 kills and a .276 hitting percentage.

UMC utilized two setters for the first time this season with Sierra Trost (So., S, Ham Lake, Minn./Health Science) and Kaycie Hagen (Fr., S, Savage, Minn./Health Science) sharing the role. Trost had 23 assists and 10 digs on the night, while Hagen had 18 assists on the night. UMC hit .181 overall on the night.

The Golden Eagles were led on defense by Becca Vandenheuvel (Fr., DS, Cannon Falls, Minn./Elementary Education), who had 15 digs on the night. Looker added 11 digs on the night, as did Stephanie Pearson (Jr., OH, Frankfort, Ill./Accounting). Trost added 10.

With Looker's night, she has just 13 kills remaining to surpass Allison Kluck's career kills mark of 1,276 kills,. With her 11 digs, Looker needs just 30 digs now to surpass 1,000 digs, which would make her the third player in school history to achieve 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs along with Joan Ebnet and Kendra Corneliusen.

Minnesota State was led by Kendra Hassing's 18 kills and .333 hitting percentage. Courtney Anderson and Chandra Honebrink each added 11 kills on the night. Setter Ellie Van De Steeg finished with 43 assists as Minnesota State hit .138 for the match.

Defensively, Haley Fogarty led the way with 25 digs for the Mavericks, while Jenna McNallan had 16 digs and Van De Steeg had 12.

The Golden Eagles will look to build on their momentum after a hard-fought win over the Mavericks. They will take on seven-time defending National Champion Concordia University, St. Paul, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website 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).