The middle blocking tandem of senior Sarah Kohler and
sophomore Samantha Lovell posted a combined 36 kills and 11 blocks to lead Sioux
Falls to a sweep of Mount Marty (25-23, 25-19, 25-12) and tournament host
Dakota Wesleyan (25-13, 25-18, 25-18) on Saturday night at the Labor Day
Classic in Mitchell, S.D.
Sioux Falls finished the two-day tournament with an overall record of 3-1.
“I'm not necessarily happy with the way we won, but I'm very
pleased with the way we finished,” said second-year head coach Joel McCartney. “The
team really responded well after last night's loss to Jamestown and our final
match against Dakota Wesleyan was really fun to watch.”
After edging Mount Marty 25-23 in the first set, USF broke
the match open with a swift 25-19 victory in the second frame and breezed
through the third set, 25-13. The Cougars hit .330 as a team with only 11
attacking errors.
USF improved to 9-0 against Mount Marty since 2006.
The Cougars dominated their final match at the Corn Palace as they raced past
tournament host Dakota Wesleyan (2-6) in three sets, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18 in
front of a large crowd.
USF hit at a .564 clip, the best single-match attack percentage
of the McCartney era. The Cougars also recorded just six attack miscues, the
lowest USF has tallied in a match since the 2010 season (9/3/10, Indiana
Wesleyan). Every statistical category went the Cougars' way.
The win improves USF's record to 6-1 against Dakota Wesleyan
since 2008. The Cougars have only dropped one set in their last five matches
against the Tigers.
Chanda Goedken hit a combined .488 on the day with 18 kills
and 23 digs. Emily Johnson added 21 kills and 13 digs.
Setter Alexa Reed racked up 80 assists in the two matches.
Kohler and Lovell were both named to the Labor Day Classic
All-Tournament team.
“Sam and Sarah are so comfortable with Lex,” McCartney said.
“When we're in our system it's almost like our middles are scoring at will.”
USF returns to action when they will play host to Dakota Wesleyan in the Cougars' home
opener at Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.
