SIOUX FALLS – Fighting off a resilient Minot State squad, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball secured a 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21) sweep of the Beavers on Friday night. The victory gives USF their 12th conference win of the season, setting a new program-best for conference wins since the Cougars joined the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012. Overall, USF pushes their record to 18-9 on the season with their 12-7 mark in the NSIC.
 
On senior night, four-year starter Jordan Calef carried the Cougar offense with a match-high 14 kills. Fellow middle blocker and recent All-NSIC second team honoree Lexi Scott posted 10 kills with a .571 attach percentage. Calef led the front-row defense with five block assists and Makenna Rockeman had a match-high 10 digs, narrowly missing a double-double after finishing with nine kills.
 
After a quick start to the first set, USF was forced to play from behind and needed extra points to put Minot State away, 27-25. Rockeman posted two early kills to held USF to a 5-2 lead, but MSU won the next nine points. The Cougars responded well with a surge to take back the lead, led by two Rockeman aces and a pair of Calef kill. Again Sioux Falls needed a run to pull ahead 19-18 and the teams traded points until Bria Barfnecht's kill gave USF a set-point opportunity. MSU fought it off and earned a set-point chance of their own, but Rockeman added two more kills and the Cougars pulled out the 27-25 victory.
 
The second set was filled with short runs by both teams, but the Cougars fought off Minot State's surges to win 25-23. The Cougars used two blocks to start the set with a 5-1 run, but MSU would tie it up shortly after with two three-point bursts. USF regained the lead on two Scott kills sandwiching a Kelli Holloway ace, but Minot State pulled ahead, 18-16, with a four-point spree. The Cougars seized control, winning six of the next seven points with the help of Minot State's errors. The Beavers tied the score at 22-22 before Calef's kill snapped the MSU run and senior Abby Folk set USF up with a set point and Scott capitalized with a kill.
 
With eight kills through the first two sets, Calef carried the Cougars to the sweep victory with six more terminations in the final set. After a back-and-forth start, Sioux Falls turned a two-point deficit into a 20-15 lead with a senior-lead surge. Calef and Rockeman teamed up for a block to start the 10-3 run, and Calef gave the lead with a kill. Continuing the run, Calef recorded another kill and Folk added two more service aces, then Aubrey Milne capped the run with a kill. With the victory in sight, Calef provided the final two points with her fifth and six kills of the set.
 
The Cougars close out the regular season tomorrow, Nov. 12 at home against University of Mary with first serve set for 3 p.m.