Sam Thiel/Winonan

The Winona State volleyball team defeated the Sioux Falls Cougars 3-1 and advanced their winning streak to 15 games Friday in Sioux Falls, SD.

Bekah Saugen led WSU with an impressive performance; recording 14 kills while hitting .414. She also posted 12 digs, the third match in a row that she has had a double-double. Saugen increased her double-digit kill streak to eight in the victory.

Winona State dropped the first set of the match 25-22, the first set WSU has dropped since Sept. 18 against Upper Iowa.

However, the Warriors would answer back quickly, tying up the match with a commanding 25-10 win in the second set.

They would then post identical 25-19 victories in the third and fourth sets to finish off the match.

Katie Froehle also recorded a double-double for WSU, putting up ten kills and a team-high 16 digs.

Paige Garriga cashed in seven kills of her own as Winona State had a team hitting percentage of .282.

The Warrior defense was spectacular once again, holding the Cougars to a hitting percentage of .157 while also recording six blocks total as a squad.

Laura Zeamer led the block party with three blocks total and added on six kills on the offensive end.

The servers proved to be a key factor throughout the match, serving up 12 aces. Kayla Uhlenhake had four while Elena Kruesel added three.

Uhlenhake also led WSU in the sharing department with 19 assists.

On the defensive end, Maggie Finkel recorded 14 digs for the Warriors as the squad increased its overall record to 16-2 and an impressive 8-0 in NSIC play.

Winona State is still the lone team in the NSIC standings without a loss in conference play.

The Winona State volleyball team tried to keep their 15-game winning streak alive against No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State but saw it come to an end, falling 3-1 Saturday in Marshall, Minn.

The Mustangs opened the match with a 25-17 win in the first set before the Warriors fought back to even the game up with a 25-23 win in the second set.

SMSU polished off the victory with a 25-19 victory and a 25-12 win in the third and fourth sets respectively.

Bekah Saugen had her fourth consecutive double-double, recording 12 kills and 12 digs.

She has posted double-digit kills for the ninth match in a row. Kate Horihan added 11 kills in the loss.

Elena Kruesel led the Warriors in the passing department, dishing out 16 digs while Kayla Uhlenhake put in 11.

Defensively, Maggie Finkel led the Warriors with 16 digs.

The Warrior defense had ten blocks total in the match, with Laura Zeamer and Rachel Polland each having six blocks.

Before the loss the Warriors hadn’t been defeated since they fell to Truman State 3-2 on Sept. 1.

The squad’s 15-game winning streak is now the longest in school history.

Winona State is now 16-3 overall on the season and 8-1 in NSIC play. The Warriors are still tied atop the league standings.

The Warriors will host a weekend homestead next weekend against Northern State and MSU Moorhead.

Contact Sam at [email protected]