Junior Emily Johnson turned in seven kills, but the University of Sioux Falls volleyball team failed in its bid for a third straight victory, dropping a three-set decision (25-13, 25-17, 25-17) to No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday at Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn.
USF falls to 15-10 overall (6-9 NSIC), while the Bulldogs improved to 23-2 (13-2).
Johnson finished with seven kills, four digs and a block assist, while freshman Jordan Calef registered six terminations with just one error in 11 attempts for a .455 attack clip. Samantha Lovell hit .500, posting five kills on eight swings with one error.
Senior Andrea Odbert earned the 55th of her career at libero for USF and rounded up a team-high seven digs. Alexa Reed set up the Cougar attack with 22 assists.
Bulldog Kate Lange turned in a match-high 13 kills with a .478 hitting percentage. On 23 attempts, Lange committed just a pair of errors. Sydnie Mauch added eight terminations on 14 swings with three errors for a .357 hitting percentage to go along with five total blocks.
The Bulldogs scored the first three points of the opening set and built their lead to six at 7-1, but USF took three of the next four points with a Lovell stab and two UMD service errors to cut its deficit to four points (8-4). Unfortunately, the Cougars could get no closer and fell 25-13. The Cougars hit just .074 in the opener, while UMD claimed a .480 mark.
USF and UMD traded the first two points of the second frame but the Bulldogs took control with a 13-3 run that included skeins of six points and four points. The Bulldogs maintained the 10-point advantage the majority of the frame but would settle for the 25-17 second-set victory.
After a brief intermission, USF came out strong and raced out to a 4-2 lead to start the third set. The Bulldogs battled back to tie it at 4-all and the Cougars responded with back-to-back kills from Johnson and Michelle Ritland to lead 6-4. UMD tallied two straight points and the set saw three more ties before the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 to take the lead for good at 14-10. They increased their lead to seven at 19-12 before the Cougars battled back with a 3-0 run capped by a UMD attack miscue to pull within four at 19-15. Unfortunately, USF would get no closer and would eventually drop the finale and the match to the Bulldogs, 25-17.
The Bulldogs outblocked USF 7.0-3.0 and earned a .446 to .139 advantage in team hitting over the visiting Cougars during the match. The Cougars entered the match leading the league in service aces but UMD's defense was rock-solid which paid of to the tune of zero aces and seven service errors for USF.
The Cougars continue their road trip through the North Star State on Saturday against St. Cloud State (12-11, 6-9 NSIC). First serve from St. Cloud is set for 4 p.m. CT.
