KEARNEY, Neb. – The Minot State volleyball team came within a half-dozen points of its first win under new coach Alex Lehocky, only to see Midwestern State spoil the day.

An Alexandra Koontz kill put the Beavers (0-4 overall) on top 9-8 in a seesaw fifth set before the Mustangs used a 5-0 run to take control en route to the five-set win in the final match for both teams of the Rosella Meier Fall Classic hosts by Nebraska-Kearney.

Minot State started the day with a 25-15, 25-18, 25-14 setback against Central Washington.

The Beavers are back in action next weekend at another non-conference tournament in Nebraska, this time playing Friday and Saturday at the Chadron State College Tournament.

Coaches Comments
"We had a slow start to our day in the first match, we had a tough time in serve receive which ended up affecting our offense," Coach Lehockey said. "The second match we had a lot of very good moments being in system, but in the end, Midwestern came out on top. We look forward to next weekend."

Central Washington def. Minot State 25-15, 25-18, 25-14
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Minot State volleyball team could not beat an opposing Wildcats offense Saturday falling to Central Washington in three sets (15-25, 18-25, 14-25).

Taylor Wyatt finished with six kills on the day to lead the Beavers offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .455. The Beavers got five digs from Viktoria Sedova to lead them defensively.

Game Notes
» Kendal Braun had a team-high two aces in the loss.
» Taylor Wyatt had a team-high six kills for Minot State.
» Minot State got a team-high five digs from Viktoria Sedova.
» Minot State attackers were helped by a team-high nine assists from Jaina Macaulay.

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Beavers fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-15. Minot State trailed by as many as 10 points as Central Washington grabbed the advantage for good at 4-3 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Wildcats took control.
SET 2 | A 25-18 second-set loss put Minot State behind two sets to none in the match. Minot State trailed by as many as seven points as Central Washington grabbed the advantage for good at 5-4 in a set that was tied up two times before the Wildcats took over the lead.
SET 3 | Minot State couldn't prolong the match and lost in set number three. The Beavers lost the first point and never took the lead before falling in the set 25-14.

Midwestern State (Texas) def. Minot State 22-25, 25-11, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12
KEARNEY, Neb. – The Minot State volleyball team lost 3-2 (25-22, 11-25, 25-19, 20-25, 12-15) to the Midwestern State Mustangs Saturday at Health & Sports Center.

The Beavers offense was paced by Taylor Wyatt, who finished with 12 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .35, and by Alexandra Koontz, who had 10 kills. Defensively, Minot State had two players reach double figures in digs as Viktoria Sedova had 12 and Jaina Macaulay had 10.

Game Notes
» Tea Boeckel had a team-high three aces in the loss.
» Minot State never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-19.
» Taylor Wyatt had a team-high 12 kills for Minot State.
» Minot State got a team-high 12 digs from Viktoria Sedova.
» Minot State attackers were helped by a match-high 34 assists from Jaina Macaulay.

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Beavers grabbed the first set 25-22 propelled by a strong showing on the attacking side. Minot State registered a .333 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set victory. The Beavers rallied from down six at 10-4 to grab the win.
SET 2 | Minot State then dropped the second set 25-11, tying the match at a set apiece. Minot State trailed by as many as 14 points as Midwestern State grabbed the advantage for good at 11-10 in a set that was tied up eight times before the Mustangs took over the lead.
SET 3 | Minot State fought back after the set-two loss to grab the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. The Beavers took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to secure a 25-19 victory. Minot State opened up as much as an eight-point lead at 20-12 before finishing off the set. The Minot State offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Minot State couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Mustangs forced a fifth set with a 25-20 victory. The Beavers trailed by as many as eight points as Midwestern State grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 and Minot State was never able to recover in a set that was knotted up two times before the Mustangs took over the lead.
SET 5 | The Beavers had a lead early in the set at 9-8 before Midwestern State took over.

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