The Winona State University volleyball team ended the weekend with a pair of wins against the University of Mary and Minot State University.

The Warriors have now improved to 5-2 in conference play and 11-4 overall.

They started out the weekend playing against the University of Mary. Winona scored matches of 25-23, 25-22, 25-13.

“The team did a great job staying focused with the task at hand and took care of business,” head coach Joe Getzin said.

Winona lead by no more than three in the first game. There were three ties throughout the match but the Warriors would not give the Marauders an edge to secure the first game.

The Warriors’ attacking percentage improved from .207 to .333 in the second match.

First-year Kate Masberg recorded five of her eight kills in the second set along with a block. The Warriors led by nine at one point in the second game but the Marauders cut that lead to just two before a kill by junior Maria Wrage that secured the second game for the Warriors.

First-year Becca Pagel had 15 digs on the day to continue her breakout season.

“I feel our whole freshman class is performing very well, and they are contributing more than I expected,” Getzin said. “We have a class of seven and all of them are playing a huge role in our practice gym helping the team perform at a high level.”

The Warriors’ attacking percentage was .406 in the third and final game to secure the match win. Senior McKenna Larsen made six kills in the third match, ending the game with 23 assists.

The Warriors took another sweep Saturday, Sept. 30 against Minot State. This was a very dominant performance by the Warriors, winning by scores of 25-11, 25-19, 25-13.

Masberg led Winona State with 11 kills, the third double-digit effort of her rookie season. She also recorded two aces to add to her very well-performed weekend.

Danielle Rampart drilled ten kills of her own to continue her seniors season. She has 194 total kills this season so far.

First-year Megan Flom contributed five kills on just nine swings.

Larsen recorded 30 assists this match and six kills. The Warriors committed three attacking errors in their most efficient effort of the day.

Minot State was ahead for a while in the second set, but the Warriors would squander that comeback with a 5-1 run to end the game.

“It’s a tough trip from the travel perspective and we got two wins on the road, so mission accomplished,” Getzin said.

The Warriors will have one week off before returning to the road to play University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University next weekend.