SIOUX FALLS – In a fitting end to an impressive career, libero Janelle Lam picked up her 1,000th career dig on Senior Day, which led University of Sioux Falls Volleyball to a four-set win over Minnesota Crookston. The 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-13, 25-13) victory brought the Cougars to a final record of 15-10 with a 10-10 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, placing them ninth in the final league standings and one spot out of the NSIC Tournament.
A senior libero from Apple Valley, Minn., Lam recorded 22 digs in the final match of her career, bringing her four-year total to 1,004 digs, which is the second-most in USF's NCAA Division II history. Lam's digs were critical to the Cougars' victory as USF limited Minnesota Crookston to a .103 attack percentage, including three sets of .080 or less.
Offensively, junior Bria Barfnecht was steady for the Cougars, posting a match-high 18 kills while picking up 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Averey Yaksich wrapped up an impressive finish to her freshman season with 14 kills on Saturday, the fourth time in the final five matches where she has finished with double-digit kills.
As a team, the Cougars hit .201, which got a big boost from their third- and fourth-set numbers. After a 20-kill and .267 hitting percentage outing in the first set – Barfnecht had six without an error – USF committed 13 attack errors in the second which led to a 25-18 loss that tied the match at one set a piece. Setter Krista Goerger handed out 17 of her 48 assists in the first set, and she finished with nine digs, one short of a double-double.
The USF offense broke out of its slum quickly in the third set and carried their momentum into the fourth for a pair of dominating victories. Yaksich put down four kills in the third set and Makenna Rockeman connected on three of her nine kills in the frame to give USF the overall lead via a 25-13 set victory.
Making sure the Cougars ended the season on a high note, Barfnecht and middle blocker Abby Feyereisen combined for 11 kills without an error in the final set. Follow three straight aces by Yaksich, Barfnecht led a 10-1 run to finish the match.
