ST. PAUL, Minn. – The seventh-ranked Concordia Golden Bears volleyball team (12-3, 6-1 NSIC) made it four wins in a row as they grabbed a four-set win (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22) over ninth-ranked Southwest Minnesota State (11-4, 5-2 NSIC) in Friday night's NCAA DII Showcase match at Gangelhoff Center.
 
It was yet another hard-fought battle between the Golden Bears and the Mustangs as the two schools met for the 13^th time in the past four years, with CSP claiming their ninth win during that span. CSP improves to 39-26-1 in the all-time series and 20-12 on their home court while also picking up their fifth win against a ranked opponent this season.
 
The Concordia offense was firing on all cylinders as they hit .309 with massive 64 kills on 152 swings on the night. The Mustangs weren't far behind as they finished at .275 with 57 kills on 138 attempts. The Golden Bears also held a 9.0-5.0 edge in total blocks and a 4-3 edge in aces in the win.
 
A big part of the offensive output came from freshman Jasmine Mulvihill as she followed up a career performance last Saturday with another on Friday with 24 kills and a massive .444 hitting percentage. The Lakeville native has registered 15 or more kills in four of the past six, including 20+ in each of the past two.
 
Erin Fallert also picked up where she left off last weekend as she tallied her fourth consecutive double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs as she hit .317 in the win. Both of Concordia's middles also reached double figures as Kennedy Brady registered 11 kills and a .348 hitting percentage while Sara Macek had 10 kills with a .400 hitting percentage.
 
Payton Nutter added another solid showing as she assisted on 59 of the team's 64 kills while also chipping in eight digs. Makenna Berger paced the team in digs with a career-best 14 digs while Tori Hanson followed with 12.
 
Angela Young led the Mustangs with 21 kills on the night while Payton Hjerleid had 19 digs to lead all players in the loss.
 
Little separated the two teams early in the opening sets as there were six ties and three lead changes in the first 13 points of the match. Using a 5-1 run, the Mustangs built a 10-7 lead midway through the set before CSP battled back to tie it up at 11-11. SMSU regained the lead at 13-12, but five straight for the Golden Bears quickly shifted the momentum the other way. The back-and-forth swings continued from there as Southwest Minnesota State clawed their way back in it to even the score as 21-21 and again at 22-22, but Concordia took care of business with three of the next four to win the set 25-23.
 
Concordia opened on a 3-1 run to start the second, but the Mustangs quickly took control with six of seven to jump out to a three-point lead of their own. SMSU continued to maintain a slim lead over the next several points, eventually pushing it to four at 14-10, before CSP turned things around with five in a row to take a 15-14 lead. Neither team was able to find much separation from there as the margin remained within one either way until the Mustangs grabbed two straight point to build a 22-20 advantage. They would not relinquish that lead as they evened the match with a 25-22 set win in the second.
 
It was the Mustangs that delivered the first blow in the third set as they opened on a 5-1 run, but that lead would not last as a 3-0 run later on in the set tied the score at 10-10. The back and forth play continued as CSP utilized with a 5-1 burst one point later to take the lead before SMSU rattled off four straight to take it back. The Golden Bears edged back in front with six of the next points to make it 21-18 before cruising to a 25-21 set victory in the third and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The back and forth play continued in the fourth with 12 ties as both teams battled it out from start to finish. Neither team led by more than three until Concordia scored five straight points to take an 18-15 lead. CSP would not trail again as SMSU managed to tie it up at 18-18 and 19-19 before the Golden Bears closed out the match with a 25-23 set win.
 
Concordia will look to keep things rolling tomorrow night with a 5 p.m. start against #24 Sioux Falls on homecoming. Fans who have purchased a homecoming wristband receive free admission to football and volleyball on Saturday, as well as Comet's Carnival which is open from 2-5 p.m. on the Sea Foam Stadium plaza.