The Wayne State Wildcats went into five sets against Southwest Minnesota State but came up short in the fifth set.

The ’Cats now have an overall record of 8-2 and a 1-1 record in the NSIC.

The Wildcats proved that they can compete with one of the top ten teams in Division II.

“We fell just a few points short in the end but battled the entire game and can compete with one of the best teams,” said head coach Scott Kneifl.

The ’Cats won the first and the third set but fell four points shy in the fifth set.

Katie Stephens led the team with 17 kills followed by Tarrin Beller with 12. Tarrin Beller also led the team with seven blocks.

“Tarrin Beller and Haley Kauth both played very well for us against SMSU,” Kneifl said. This team is truly a team and play as a team.”

The team has tremendous chemistry and it shows on the court.

“They are a rival in the conference and a really good team that is normally toward the top of the league,” Kneifl said. “We are excited for this match.”

Wayne State has started the season tremendously well and hopes to continue the success late into the season.

The ’Cats may be only 1-1 in conference but in their preseason tournaments they only lost one game and even swept every opponent at the Embry-Riddle Tournament hosted at Daytona Beach, Fla.

“The team will need to stay healthy as we get deeper into the season and train hard at the same time,” Kneifl said. “This can be a tough thing to balance but it is important we rest up and stay fresh for the entire season.”

The Wildcats are only on their third conference match of the season and have 19 more on top of that.

The Wildcats are undefeated on the road with a 3-0 record.

The ’Cats are going in with some anger from the last match against SMSU. Augustana is coming off of a 3-0 sweep against Seton Hill.

Photos by Joseph Lovercheck