Reid Peters/Winonan

The No. 25 Winona State University volleyball team went 3-0 at home this week with wins against Upper Iowa University, the University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University.

The Warriors increased their win streak to five games and improved to a 14-7 overall record.

The Warriors defeated Upper Iowa on Tuesday night 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-20) in McCown Gymnasium.

This was the second matchup between the two teams this season, the first of which resulted in a Peacock win.

Winona State had its best hitting performance of the year with a .418 percentage while limiting Upper Iowa to .155.

The Warriors also recorded eight blocks, with the Peacocks recording none.

Lauren Kudronowicz played a big role in the Warrior’s success, hitting .636 and tallying a match-best 15 kills.

The Warriors began with an 8-3 lead to start the opening set. Upper Iowa would not narrow the score any closer than three points for the rest of the set as the Warriors eventually closed it out 25-17.

The Warriors consistently jumped out to quick leads at the beginning of sets, and the second set would prove no different.

“Its important to get a lead at the beginning of sets in order to maintain momentum,” Jamie Cairncross said.

After four straight Peacock errors to begin the set, Winona would find themselves on top 5-0. Winona hit .519 in the set, and eventually claimed the second set 25-15.

The Peacocks gave their strongest performance in the third set, jumping out to a 12-8 lead over the Warriors. Upper Iowa advanced their lead later to 17-14, but the Warriors snapped off an 8-1 run to take control 22-18. Danielle Rampart eliminated any other lead changes as she finished off the set and match with back-to-back kills to take a 25-20 third set win.

“We have came out a little slow in the third set lately,” McKenna Larson said. “That is something we need to improve on as we come closer to the playoffs.”

Jamie Cairncross had a match-high 17 digs. Maria Fruechte had nine kills while McKenna Larsen had eight kills of her own along with 37 assists.

Rampart had her fifth double-double of the past six matches.

The Warriors took down Minnesota Crookston 3-0 Friday night in front of 549 fans at home in McCown Gymnasium.

Taylor Goar had a match-best 11 kills while Maria Wrage tallied 10 kills and hit .533.

Kudronowicz collected nine kills and hit .571 while Larsen had the match-best hitting percentage of .636.

Winona State got off to a quick 6-2 lead after a Goar kill to begin the first set. The Warriors would then snap on a 7-1 run which was finished by Kudronowicz with a kill to give the Warriors a 16-7 lead.

Winona State climbed to a 20-10 lead after another Goar kill before finishing the set off with a 25-18 win. The Warriors hit .256 through the first set.

The Golden Eagles began the second set with a 5-4 lead, but the Warriors went on a run, which resulted in an 18-11 lead before eventually claiming a 25-17 second set victory.

The third set began 10-8 with the Warriors leading. They would increase the lead to 20-10 and eventually close the set out 25-9 to claim the match 3-0.

The Warriors capped off the week on Saturday with a 3-0 victory over Bemidji State in McCown Gymnasium. This would be the last game of the Warrior’s home-stretch.

“It’s much better playing in front of a lot of friends and family. We feel it’s easier to perform on the court that we practice on everyday,” McKenna Larsen said.

The Warriors hit .261 throughout the match compared to the Beavers .118.

Wrage tied the seventh-most efficient hitting performance in single match history with a .714 percentage while collecting 10 kills in the process.

Goar collected her 10th double-double of the season while tallying match-bests in both kills and digs at 15 and 18.

Winona State got off to a quick lead in the opener, climbing to a 9-3 lead. Goar

eventually finished off the first set 25-13 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second set, the Warriors had 20 kills while hitting .432. Bemidji put up some resistance, but a 9-3 Warrior run would prove too much giving the Warriors a 25-18 second set victory.

The Beavers had their best performance in the third set, hitting .226 and managing 11 kills. Bemidji hung around, but the Warrior’s 17 kills and .382 hitting percentage was too much for the Beavers. After being tied at 11, the Warriors went on a 5-0 run to gain a 16-11 lead. Sophie Wilker finished the match with a kill to give the Warriors a 25-19 third set victory.

Winona State (14-7, 8-6 NSIC) has a road trip coming up beginning next weekend with a pair of matches at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.