Box Score SIOUX FALLS— after battling Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) leader and No. 1 ranked Northern State, the University of Sioux Falls Volleyball Team dropped a 3-1 (15-25, 17-25, 25-17, 20-25) decision on Friday night (Oct. 20).
 
With the setback, the Cougars had a three-match winning streak come to an end as they fell to 15-8 overall and 10-5 in the NSIC.  USF dropped into a tie for fifth place with Wayne State for fifth plae in the NSIC standings.
 
Senior Bria Barfnecht paced the Cougar offense with 17 kills on 26 attempts for a hitting percentage of .615.  Also for USF, sophomore Averey Yaksich accumulated nine kills and junior Abby Feyereisen hit for an efficient .306 hitting percentage on six kills over 13 attempts.
 
The USF defense showed up big throughout the contest, totaling 10 blocks. Senior Lexi Scott led the defense with four block assists, one block solo, and two digs in the match. Kasandra Springer and Yaksich each accumulated eight digs.
 
Before 889 in attendance, USF battled early with NSU but dropped the opening two sets. USF, which hit .206 in the first set, was tied at seven after a kill from Scott. However, the top-ranked Wolves took control by winning five of the next six points for a 12-9 lead. NSU used another six-point run late in the set to gain a 23-11 advantage and finished off a 25-15 first-set decision.   
 
In the second set, both teams again battled back and forth and were tied at 13. From that point, NSU again found a big run to take control in the set. After being tied at 13, NSU had a 9-0 run for a 22-13 lead. USF, which hit just .103, battled back but fell 25-17 as NSU took a 2-0 set lead. 
 
USF bounced back to grab the third set as they used a 7-0 run to build momentum which they carried throughout the set. In that early run, Barfnecht had two kills and sophomore setter Krista Goerger recorded three service aces. USF, which hit .344, fought off a challenge from NSU, which closed to within 16-15, to win the set, 25-17. After the Wolves pulled within one, the Cougars won five straight points for a 21-15 lead. Then, they took four of the final five points to close out the set and draw within 2-1. 
 
In the fourth set, the Cougars hit for a .147 hitting percentage, which hurt against NSU. The Wolves broke from a 4-4 tie to grab a 16-7 lead before closing the set and match with a 25-20 decision.  
 
USF will look to bounce back at home on Saturday, Oct. 20 as they host Minnesota State Moorhead in an Alumni Appreciation match at 2 p.m., at the Stewart Center.