#19 Wayne State 3 #10 Southwest Minnesota State 1
Wayne State College capped an incredible weekend of play Saturday night at the Colorado Premier Volleyball Challenge in Denver as the 19th-ranked Wildcats rallied to defeat #10 Southwest Minnesota State in the championship match by scores of 20-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 25-20. WSC is now 8-0 on the season while handing SMSU (7-1) its first loss of the season. The Wildcats won all four matches in a tournament that featured nine teams in the AVCA Top 25. WSC posted wins over #6 Saint Leo of Florida, Regis, #1 Concordia, St. Paul and #10 Southwest Minnesota State.
The Wildcats got off to a slow start in the championship match, hitting just .060 in the first set with seven hitting errors as WSC fell to SMSU 25-20. The second set saw WSC get off to a quick start, taking a 9-3 lead on the Mustangs. SMSU slowly chipped away at the lead and got as close as two at 18-16, but the 'Cats came back and won the game 25-21 to tie the match at 1-1.
The third set saw WSC score six straight points (10-9 to 16-9) to take control of the set early. But Southwest Minnesota State rallied and got within one at 23-22 before WSC hung on for a 25-23 win. In the fourth set, the 'Cats were down 9-6 but rallied to tie the score at 13-13. WSC forced the Mustangs into 11 hitting errors in the fourth set and went on to win 25-20, winning the match 3-1.
WSC hit .231 in the match compared to .197 for Southwest Minnesota State. The Mustangs had 68 kills to 53 for the Wildcats, but WSC had 16 blocks to just seven for SMSU.
Junior outside hitter Tali Fredrickson had a big match for the Wildcats with 15 kills and 15 digs. Jennifer Hefner had her own double with 13 kills and 12 blocks. Freshman Cori Hobbs added 11 kills and six blocks in the win. Senior setter Diedra Artz had 45 set assists while junior libero Leigh Connot recorded 21 digs for WSC.
Wayne State had three players selected to the 2010 Premier All-Tournament Team announced following Saturday night's championship match. Seniors Diedra Artz and Jennifer Hefner and junior Tali Fredrickson were Wildcats named to the All-Tournament Team. Artz averaged 10.87 set assists and 1.40 digs per set for WSC during the four matches over the weekend. Hefner had 44 kills and 24 blocks in four matches, averaging 2.93 kills and 1.60 blocks per set while hitting .300 and Fredrickson finished the weekend with a team-high 50 kills and 53 digs, averaging 3.33 kills and 3.53 digs per set for the Wildcats.
Wayne State will open Northern Sun Conference play Friday evening, hosting Winona State in the 2010 home opener for the Wildcats starting at 7:00 p.m. at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.
