The Winona State University women’s volleyball team suffered another defeat against Minnesota State University, Mankato, on Saturday, Nov. 2, on their home court. It was a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match between the season’s sixth and seventh teams.
Winona State was confident after a 3-0 win against the University of Sioux Falls (S.D) on Halloween. This confidence encouraged them to play at their very best but unfortunately would not be enough to obtain a win.
From the first set, Minnesota State, Mankato had luck on their side, scoring three points due to attack errors by the Warriors. However, Winona State got back into the game with two kills following shortly after.
Later on, both teams were scoring points back and forth. Minnesota State, Mankato managed to maintain the lead the entire set, which would end at 25-22 with a win for them. Though the Warriors lost, they showed their potential by achieving 13 kills.
In the second set, the Warriors stopped making mistakes. They displayed outstanding skill with a 7-1 lead. After this phenomenal comeback from Winona State, it seemed as though the Mavericks would lose the remaining two sets as well.
“We want to create as much energy as we can,” Warrior captain Sidney Paulson said.
And they did, using that Warrior energy to maintain a lead of at least five points throughout the course of the set. They showed proper execution of attacks and won the set 25-16, which is a large margin in competitive games such as this.
However, Minnesota State, Mankato had comeback plans after the halftime break, jumping into the third set and earning a 26-24 win.
This set was an interesting one, with a variety of utilized attacking strategies, trick shots and power-hitting.
The Warriors had different strategies. They chose to confuse the Mavericks by changing the pace of the ball and using unexpected shots, which provided many of the points for the Warriors.
Jaci Winchell, a Warrior setter, suddenly began racking up points by making kills by faking out the opposing team. In addition, Minnesota State, Mankato made four service errors due to the position of the Warriors.
“We work on trick shots all the time, but it’s a matter of, do they execute it during game situations and remember that they have that potential,” Warrior head Coach Joe Getzin said.
The Mavericks understood the Warrior’s tactics and answered with power-hitting. This tactic gave them points due to the deflection from the Warrior blockers, which would secure their victory.
In the fourth set, the Warriors started positively with a kill by Paulson and continued to go back and forth until Winona State scored seven points. After this, Paulson, their main outside hitter, went back to the defensive position due to rotation.
This shift would result in the Warriors losing points. Paulson came back to the attacking position again after fourteen points had passed but it was too late for them to make a comeback.
Minnesota State, Mankato took advantage of the situation and brought the score to 25-18, securing a 3-1 victory overall.
After this match, Winona State moved down to the seventh position in the league table, and Minnesota State, Mankato jumped up to sixth. Both teams have just four more matches before the tournament matches begin.
Next week, Winona State will face Bemidji State University on Nov. 8 for their family weekend match. They will also face the University of Minnesota, Crookston on Nov. 9 for their senior’s day match, both of which will take place at the Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium, on home turf.
