CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball taem put together a well-rounded effort as they upended St. Cloud State University 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-19) Saturday evening at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles played a clean game all around as they hit .303 as a team with just 13 errors in three sets. Minnesota Crookston improves to 5-5 (1-1 NSIC) and ends a strong week for them after going toe-to-toe with No. 1 University of Minnesota Duluth Thursday. St. Cloud State falls to 5-5 (1-1 NSIC) in their first season under Chad Braegelmann.

The Golden Eagles were led on the match by right-side hitter Maggie Perrel (R-So., New Germany, Minn.), who had 12 kills and hit .250 with a team-leading 32 swings. Perrel has been an instrumental part of UMC's attack after rejoining the team in Spring after taking the Fall off. UMC also successfully spread around their offense to their middles as Kelci Green (R-So., MH, Anoka, Minn.) had 10 kills and hit .444 and Erin Schwarz (Jr., MH, Eden Prairie, Minn.) ended a strong week with eight kills and an .889 hitting percentage.

Schwarz and Perrel both had great weeks for UMC. Perrel averaged 4.83 kills per set for the week and hit .391 for the week from her right-side hitter position. Schwarz averaged 2.67 kills per set and hit .640 for the week.

In addition, Stephanie Pearson (Sr., OH, Frankfort, Ill.) had six kills, as did Kali Erickson (Jr., OH, Fargo, N.D.).

A big story line all season has been whether they would have as effective of an offense without All-NSIC First Team pick Brittany Looker, while UMC misses Looker they have been able to spread the wealth and come at teams from different ways, as evidenced by Saturday's win over the Huskies.

At setter, Sierra Trost put together a strong match with 40 assists for an average of 13.3 assists per set. She helped the eam hit .303 on the match.

Defensively, Pearson led the way with 13 digs, while libero Casey Cashman (Jr., Ashland, Wis.) added 12. On the block, Green led the way with three block assists, while Schwarz had two solo blocks.

St. Cloud State was led by nine kills from Rachel Burke. Shannon Klink added six kills. Allison Butler led the team with 24 assists.

Defensively, Brianne Stamer paced the Huskies with 12 digs, while Macy Weller led the block with five block assists.

The Golden Eagles came out and dominated the first set with a 25-13 win. UMC had 15 kills and hit .387 as a team led by five kills from Pearson and Perrel.

In the second set, St. Cloud State would make things tougher, even holding a 21-20 advantage late following an Erickson attack error. However, three-consecutive points off kills from Erickson, Kelci Green and Perrel would give UMC a 23-21 advantage. The Golden Eagles would win the set 25-22.

St. Cloud State would also put up a fight in the third set, but UMC would win 25-19 led by five kills from
 Perrel.

The Golden Eagles will turn around and play their mid-week against their travel partner as they host rival Bemidji State University at 7 p.m. at Lysaker Gymnasium.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.