ABERDEEN, S.D. – For the second time this season, University of Sioux Falls Volleyball knocked off No. 14 Northern State, coming back after losing the first set to win 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23) on Saturday night. The Cougars tie their Division II program best conference win total with an 11-7 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and they improve their overall record to 17-9 on the season.
 
The win clinches a berth in the NSIC Tournament for the Cougars, marking the third time in four years they have advanced to the conference postseason tournament. USF is guaranteed at least the No. 7 seed or better as they hold a two-match lead over Northern State with two matches to play and they hold the tiebreaker over the Wolves with two head-to-head wins.
 
After a sluggish start, the Cougars came alive on both sides of the ball, hitting .360 or higher in the second and third sets while holding NSU below .150 in two of the final three sets. Leading the USF attack, sophomores Makenna Rockeman and Lexi Scott both connected on 20 kills and Jordan Calef was big in the final two sets, finishing with 14 total terminations.
 
The Sioux Falls defense was equally impressive from the start. Three different Cougars picked up five digs in the first set and they continued to build on their back-row defensive prowess.  One night after tying a career-high with 13 digs, Kelli Holloway shattered her previous mark with a match-high 21 digs. Three more Cougars picked up double-digit digs with libero Abby Folk adding 16 and back row specialist Janelle Lam scooping 10. Rockeman tacked on 13 digs to finish with her sixth double-double of the season.
 
The victory over NSU was Sioux Falls' third win over a ranked opponent this season. USF topped the Wolves on Oct. 1 when NSU was 11th in the AVCA poll, and the Cougars unseated No. 1 Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 28 for their first win over a top-five ranked team since USF joined NCAA Division II in 2012.
 
The Cougars dropped the first set 25-16, being held to a .065 attack percentage after committing nine kills and finishing with 12 kills. Sioux Falls fell behind early and despite three kills each from Rockeman, Scott and Bria Barfnecht, the Cougars couldn't claw out of the hole.
 
USF jumped out to a big lead in the second frame and returned the favor to the Wolves with a lopsided victory, tying the match at one set apiece on the back of a 25-17 victory. Calef helped the Cougars keep pace with NSU early, recording three kills to keep the score tied at 6-6. Rockeman and Scott carried the momentum forward and pushed ahead for a 13-8 lead after combining for five kills. Three straight NSU points cut the deficit but USF capitalized on Northern State's errors to push they advantage to eight points. Scott gave the Cougars a set point with a kill and sealed the victory with a solo block.
 
Another quick start helped the Cougars push ahead in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead then pulling ahead 11-5 after a Rockeman ace and a Calef-Barfnecht block. Barfnecht and the Cougars answered each Northern State point to keep their lead with a pair of kills. NSU traded two points to the Cougars' one as they cut the deficit to two points, but USF wouldn't allow them any closer. Scott added two more terminations and Rockeman set up the Cougars with a set point opportunity upon which Calef would capitalize, connecting on a kill.
 
Playing with a lead the previous two sets, Sioux Falls trailed nearly all of the fourth. Despite three kills to open the final set, USF fell behind but stayed within arm's reach. Northern State pieced together a three-point run to build a five-point lead at 19-14, but the Cougars would win 11 of the next 15 points. Lexi Scott started the run with a kill and consecutive NSU errors would force them to take a timeout. After a service error, USF strung together three more points to tie the score at 20-20.
 
Northern State retook the lead with a USF service error and a kill, but Rockeman would propel the Cougars to the upset victory. Scott opened the final USF run with a kill and Rockeman connected on two more for the Cougars' first lead since the opening points of the set. An NSU error gave USF a set point chance and after Northern State's Jenna Reiff connected on a kill, Rockeman hit her third termination in five points, giving the Cougars the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.
 
Sioux Falls returns home to finish the regular season, hosting Minot State and University of Mary on Nov. 11 and 12, respectively.