For the first time in program history, the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustang volleyball team took home the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship on Sunday, Nov. 18 in St. Paul after a hard fought win over top-seeded Concordia-St. Paul. The Mustangs took the match in five sets: 25-19, 25-20, 12-25, 21-25, and 15-10. This marks the Mustangs’ ninth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. NCAA Central Region Tournament action begins Nov. 29.
Four Mustang teammates were named to the all-tournament team, including seniors Brooke Burmeister, Devin Diedrich, and Mary Groth, as well as freshman Emilee Gutzmer.
Prior to the match, the Golden Bears had handed the Mustangs their only two losses of the regular season. At the start of the week, the Mustangs were ranked No. 2 in the National Top 25 poll, as well as the NCAA Region poll. The Golden Bears held the No. 1 ranking in both polls.
The Mustangs were able to find holes in CU’s defense, using on-point hitting to take the match. Five Mustangs recorded double-digit kills, including Abbey Thissen with 15, Burmeister with 14, Groth with 13, and Diedrich and McKell Anderson with 12 apiece.
Gutzmer tallied 48 assists and 16 digs, while Rachel Westby added 24 digs. Burmeister chipped in 13 digs
SMSU was named the second seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament. Their first match will be against Truman State, the seventh seed in the tournament. The quarterfinals are expected to start Nov. 29, the semifinals on Nov. 30, and the championship on Dec. 1. The tournament will be held at the Gangelhoff Center on the Concordia-St. Paul campus.
The Golden Bears were named the first seed, followed by SMSU, Nebraska-Kearney, Central Missouri, Minnesota- Duluth, Washburn, Truman State, and Wayne State. The first matches are as follows:
No. 1 Concordia vs. No. 8 Wayne State
No. 4 Central Missouri vs. No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth
No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney vs. No. 6 Washburn
No. 2 SMSU vs. No. 7 Truman State