MARSHALL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-10) to No. 4 Southwest Minnesota State University Fri., Nov. 10 in Marshall, Minn. The Golden Eagles tested the Mustangs in the first set but were unable to hang with one of the nation's top teams in the final two sets.

Minnesota Crookston falls to 7-20 (4-14 NSIC) with Friday's loss. Southwest Minnesota State improved to 24-3 (16-3 NSIC) with the victory over the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston hit .084 for the match with 21 kills and 13 errors. The Golden Eagles looked to eight kills from All-NSIC Second Team pick Kassi Green (R-Sr., OH, Anoka, Minn.), who hit .115 for the match. Kaitlin Sikkink (R-So., RS, St. Charles, Minn.) added five kills and hit .1888. Alyssa Muelken (Sr., MH, Savage, Minn.) added three kills and hit .250 for the match. Kaycie Hagen (Sr., Savage, Minn.) led the team with 15 assists.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles had 44 digs on the match led by 14 from Becca Vandenheuvel (Sr., Lib., Cannon Falls, Minn.). Kassi Green chipped in eight digs, while Maggie Perrel (R-Sr., OH, New Germany, Minn.) notched seven digs. Callie Schapekahm (Jr., MH, Eagan, Minn.) guided the Minnesota Crookston block with two block assists. Kelci Green (R-Sr., MH, Anoka, Minn.) tallied one solo block. Green needs seven block assists and 31 total blocks to tie Erin Flynn for all-time records for the Golden Eagles. The seven block assists is a feasible accomplishment with one match remaining, while the 31 total blocks will be a hard task to accomplish for a Golden Eagle senior who has had a phenomenal run in the Maroon and Gold.

Southwest Minnesota State hit .331 for the match with 53 kills and 14 errors. The Mustangs looked to NSIC Player of the Year Taylor Reiss, who notched 18 kills and posted a .455 attacking percentage. Middle hitter Sarina Smith added 10 kills and hit .273 for the match. Kaylee Burmeister chipped in eight kills and hit .227. Setter Megan Larson guided the Southwest Minnesota State offense with 40 assists.

The Mustang defense kept the offense alive several times on the night with 57 digs. Dani Potter paced the squad with 13 digs, while Erin Corrigan added 11 digs. Reiss completed a double-double with 13 digs. Reiss completed a well-rounded night by leading the Southwest Minnesota State block with two solo blocks and one block assist.

Southwest Minnesota State pushed out to a 5-2 lead in the first set with a Kassi Green attack error. Minnesota Crookston pulled within one at 6-5 with a Burmeister mishandled pass. The Golden Eagle would overcome the Mustangs and take an 8-7 lead following a Brooke Borchardt ball handling error. Southwest Minnesota State countered with a 6-0 run as they moved into a 13-8 lead with a block from Borchardt and Larson. The Mustangs extended their lead to 18-12 with a Reiss kill. Minnesota Crookston pulled back within striking distance at 18-15 with a 3-0 run led by a Sikkink kill. Southwest Minnesota State responded and took their lead out to 22-16 with a Corrigan service ace. Minnesota Crookston brought the game back within four at 24-20 with a Burmeister service error. However, the Mustangs would hang on for the 25-20 victory as Reiss came through in the clutch despite a test from the Golden Eagles.

The Mustangs raced out to a 9-2 advantage in the second set after a Larson service ace. Minnesota Crookston would cut the deficit to 16-11 with a Sikkink kill.

However, Southwest Minnesota State closed the match on a 9-4 run as they went up 2-0 in the match with the 25-15 win.

Southwest Minnesota State controlled the third set from the first serve as the closest Minnesota Crookston got was eight points at 14-6. The Mustangs took the set 25-10 and the match 3-0.

Minnesota Crookston will close out the 2017 season Sat., Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. versus University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D.