MARSHALL, Minn. – For the second time this season, University of Sioux Falls took the second set and tested No. 2 Southwest Minnesota State, only to fall short in four sets, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, 25-14). The Cougars fall to 13-8 on the season with an even 8-8 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, which has them in ninth with four matches to play in the regular season.
 
Freshman Averey Yaksich posted her first career double-double as the Cougars hung tough with the perennial power SMSU squad. Yaksich picked up 12 digs and added 11 kills to reach the double-double threshold. Junior outside hitter Makenna Rockeman posted a team-high 19 kills and an efficient .320 attack percentage as she battled SMSU's Taylor Reiss, who finished with a match-high 23 terminations.
 
Janelle Lam paced the back row defense with 13 digs, continuing her quest for 1000 digs while picking up 10-plus digs for the 21st time this season. With Lam and Yaksich combining for 25 digs, USF totaled 55 on the night, but it was SMSU's 80 digs that helped limit USF to a .230 attack percentage on 49 total kills. Southwest Minnesota State (22-2, 14-2 NSIC) put down 67 kills with a .318 attack percentage, putting four different hitters in double figure kills.
 
Neither team gained separation from the other in the first set before Southwest Minnesota State gained enough of an advantage to grab the first set, 25-23. The second set was even more tightly contested as it featured 16 ties. Rockeman broke a 19-19 tie with her fifth kill of the set then Abby Feyereisen preceded another Rockeman termination, which set up the Cougars' first set point. SMSU staved off the first set point before a service error ended the set, 25-22 in favor of Sioux Falls.
 
USF raced out to an early lead in the third frame, but they couldn't hold off the Mustangs as a 7-0 run set SMSU up with seven set point opportunities. Yaksich and Bria Barfnecht combined for three kills to trim their deficit to three points, but the SMSU lead was too large as they finished with a 25-21 win. Much like their first meeting with the Mustangs, the toll of battling Southwest Minnesota State was too much for the Cougars as USF fell 25-14 in the final frame.
 
USF continues their three-match road trip with matches at St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 3 and 4, respectively.