Contons Leads Mustangs to Narrow Victory
| October 7, 2006 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| #22 Southwest Minnesota State | 30 | 28 | 26 | 30 | 15 |
| Northern State | 22 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 6 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State junior Erin Contons put down 37 kills and helped the Mustangs narrowly escape Northern State on Saturday night. The Wolves pushed the 22nd-ranked Mustangs to five games, but did not walk away with the win. SMSU took the match with scores of 30-22, 28-30, 26-30, 30-26, and 15-6.
The Wolves had four players post double digits in kills, with Kelsey Aden and Heather Pudwill leading the team with 12 kills each, while Emily Knaeble and Odemaris Diaz finished with 10 kills each. Pudwill also led the blocking front, garnering 5 block assists. Jill Jorgensen led the team with 16 digs, while Melanie Perez and Diaz chipped in another 15 each. Kellie Heier had 47 assists, two ace serves, and nine digs.
Northern posted 11 blocks on the night in their fight with SMSU. The pulled off wins in games two and three by being efficient at the net, both on offense and defense. The Wolves came up short overall in the kill categories, where the Mustangs posted nearly 20 more kills than NSU (NSU 57, SMSU 75).
The real detriment to Northern’s cause was SMSU outside hitter Erin Contons. Contons, who leads the league in kills per game, came up just one kill shy of tying the school record for kills in a match. The All-American had 37 kills on the night and hit an incredible .384. The only other Mustang with double figures in kills was Megan Wendorff with 18. Monica Ashburn had 68 assists and 15 digs.
Despite a valiant effort against a worthy opponent, the Wolves now fall to 11-11 overall and 5-7 in the NSIC. The Mustangs improve to 20-5 overall and remain tied for second in the league with a 10-2 record.
Northern State University (located in Aberdeen, SD) is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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