The No. 21 University of Minnesota Duluth Volleyball Team fell to No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State in a four-set Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest, 18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, on the road Friday night at PE Gym.
 
The Bulldogs fell to 17-5 overall and 10-5 in NSIC play with the loss, while the Mustangs improved to 16-6 on the season and 9-6 in league play. The teams split their season series.
 
UMD had 10.0 team blocks in the contest, led by junior middle blocker Paige Decker who matched her career-high with seven block assists to go along with seven kills. Fellow junior Madeline Guetzkow added six total blocks, 11 kills and seven digs.
 
Sophomore Xada Johnson posted a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 14 digs and freshman Mollie Rupp led the Bulldogs with 14 kills and added nine digs. Sophomore setter Ava Jones added a double-double with 40 assists and 11 digs and junior libero Madison Reed pitched in 13 digs, three service aces and five assists.
 
After a first-set loss, UMD bounced back to secure the win in set No. 2 behind five kills apiece from Decker and Guetzkow and a .300 team hitting percentage. The Bulldogs and the Mustangs were even through the first 20 points before a 4-0 run, which included kills from Rupp and Guetzkow and a service ace from Reed, put the Maroon and Gold ahead 14-10. SMSU managed to even the set and take a one-point lead late on three-straight Mustang kills, but UMD answered back with another 4-0 run capped by back-to-back kills from Decker to go ahead 21-18. SMSU pulled within one, but a 4-1 run from the Bulldogs evened the match at one set apiece.
 
UMD led for most of the third set, which included a six-point advantage 13-7 near the midway point of the frame. But, a 9-3 run from the home team evened the set, 16-16, before an ace gave the Mustangs a one-point lead. Back-to-back kills from Kylie Broten gave the advantage back to the Bulldogs and sparked a 4-0 run to put the score at 20-17, but SMSU closed out the set with an 8-0 run.
 
Johnson and Rupp combined for 12 of UMD's 14 kills in the fourth set, but the visitors were not able to overcome an early deficit. The Bulldogs fell down 5-4 and were never able to regain the lead. They pulled within one point late, 21-22, following a block from Johnson and Decker, but two-straight errors made it set and match point for the Mustangs. Decker and Guetzkow had a block on Leah Jones, who finished the night with a match-high 20 kills, to make the score 22-24, but a block from the Mustangs ended the match.
 
The Bulldogs continue their four-match roadtrip Saturday afternoon when they take on Sioux Falls at the Stewart Center beginning at 4 p.m.