DULUTH, Minn. – With career performances from Lexi Scott and Sydney Schaap, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball knocked off No. 1 Minnesota Duluth in five sets, winning 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 26-24, 17-25, 15-10) on Friday night. With the marquee victory, the Cougars improve to 15-8 on the season with a 9-6 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.  
 
Scott recorded 19 kills, a career-high, to lead the Cougars who totaled 60 kills with a .289 attack percentage. Directing the offense to their season-high 60 kills, Schaap handed out a career-best 54 assists, and helped put three Cougars in double-digit kills. Alongside Scott's 19 terminations, Makenna Rockeman tallied 14 kills and Jordan Calef posted 12.
 
The Cougars defense held up against the potent bulldogs, who finished with 70 kills on a .297 attack percentage. USF had 11 blocks with Scott leading the way with three solo stuffs. In the back row, Abby Folk picked up 19 of USF's 40 digs.
 
The victory over top-ranked UMD was USF's first over a top-ranked team in five tries. It also marks the first win for USF over a top-five team and the second victory over a ranked opponent this season – the Cougars topped 11th-ranked Northern State on Oct. 1.
 
Previously winless against Minnesota Duluth, the Cougars snapped a seven-match losing streak against the Bulldogs with their five-set victory. Friday's match was the second time USF had faced Minnesota Duluth when they were the No. 1-ranked team. Entering the match, USF was 0-4 on the road against the Bulldogs and in each match since the Cougars joined NCAA Division II and the NSIC, UMD has been ranked in the top three of the AVCA Coaches Poll.
 
The Cougars may have dropped the first set, but they stood toe-to-toe with top-ranked Minnesota Duluth in a 25-22 first-set loss. Scott connected on five kills in the first set and Calef recorded four to keep Sioux Falls right with the Bulldogs.
 
Sioux Falls battled back from an early deficit and used a late run to even the match at one set apiece. The Cougars had a balanced attack with six different hitters recording a kill and four knocking down at least two. Scott, Rockeman and Bria Barfnecht each had three kills in the second set and Calef connected on a pair.
 
UMD built a 13-7 lead but the Cougars quickly earased their five-point deficit. USF forced a Minnesota Duluth timeout after a 6-3 run capped by a Barfnecht kill. The Bulldogs came out of the time stoppage with two straight points, but USF reeled off six consecutive points to take a 19-18 lead. The score seesawed until UMD took a 22-21 lead. Scott then caught fire at the net, connecting on three kills in the final five points to lead USF to the set win.
 
The third set was back-and-forth as each team held a sideout percentage over .300 and neither team could build a lead until late in the frame. USF scored two quick points and held a one-point lead until UMD strung together a couple tow-point bursts. USF trailed 22-21 after the Bulldogs responded to Folks service ace with two kills.
 
Rockeman and Scott, who combined for 11 error-free kills in the third set, gave USF their first set point at 24-22 with a kill each, but UMD tied with two kills of their own. A Minnesota Duluth service error gave the Cougars their third-set point opportunity and the Rockeman capitalized with the set-clinching kill in a 26-24 win.
 
Minnesota Duluth was set on forcing a fifth set on their home floor as they dominated the fourth set with a 13-kill, one-error performance while USF committed seven attack errors. The USF offense still produced despite the errors as Rockeman posted five more kills in the set and Calef and Aubrey Milne each added three terminations in the 25-17 fourth-set defeat.
 
The Cougar defense then stepped up big in the final set, forcing Minnesota Duluth into six errors while hitting an efficient .333 on offense. USF steadily built a lead in the fifth set, trading two points for one by the Bulldogs to hold an early advantage in the 15-point final frame. Scott preceded another Folk ace to put USF and Calef blocked a UMD attack and forced another UMD error. Brafnecht stopped any chance of a Bulldog run with a kill and Calef recorded one of her two final-set kills to put USF up 8-5.
 
After the court switch in the fifth set, UMD pulled within one point at 10-9. The Cougars strung together three points to inch closer towards the victory, surrounding a Calef-Rockeman block with kills from Scott and Rockeman for a 13-9 lead. After a UMD kill, Sioux Falls earned a match-point opportunity by way of service error from the Bulldogs. On the final point, Barfnecht had her first attack dug by the Bulldogs, but on her second opportunity, the sophomore right-side's attempt caromed off a UMD player's arm and into the stands, giving USF the point and the match in five sets.
 
Sioux Falls continues their four-match road trip with a 4 p.m. contest at St. Cloud State on Saturday, Oct. 29.