DENTON, TEX. - Although the University of Sioux Falls volleyball team had their set winning streak snapped at 22, the Cougars were able to remain undefeated with a pair of wins at Kitty Magee Arena in Denton, Tex.

In an early afternoon match, the Cougars were in a dog-fight with Harding, who a year ago upset the No. 1 seed Nebraska-Kearney in the Central Regionals, but the Cougars were able to edge the Lady Bisons in straight matches (27-25, 25-23, 26-24).

After an hour and a half break, the Cougars were pitted against another tough opponent in Texas Woman's University, the host of the Pioneer Invitational. The Cougars took the first set 26-24 to extend their set streak to 22 straight wins, but had said streak end when the Pioneers took set two 25-13. The Cougars were able to rebound and take sets three and four 25-23 and 25-22, respectively. 

Senior Abby Feyereisen and junior Krista Goerger led the Cougars offensively. Against the Lady Bisons, Feyereisen had an attacking percentage of .480 on 25 attacks. Goerger had a hitting percentage of .462 on 13 attacks. Senior transfer Allie Maloney had a combined 29 digs between the two matches.

Next for the Cougars:
With the Cougars' non-conference slate completed, the Cougars will travel to Minot and Bismarck, N.D., to take on Minot State and U-Mary on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to start conference play. USF's match against Minot State  on Friday starts at 5 p.m., while the contest at U-Mary on Saturday begins at 2 p.m.

Head Coach Joel McCartney reflects on this weekend's performances:
"Playing back-to-back matches didn't leave us with much left in the tank, but we are thankful to come out of this with two wins today and four on the weekend," McCartney said. "A lot of great performances this weekend but the courage for [freshman Nicole Jacobson] and [freshman Hayley Fox] to take on the roles of [senior Averey Yaksich] and [senior KaSandra Springer] was what gave us the competitive edge today."

Feyereisen named Tournament Co-MVP; Goerger and Kenzie Byers named to All-Tournament team:
Senior Abby Feyereisen,  junior Krista Goerger and redshirt sophomore Kenzie Byers were named to the All-Tournament Team. Feyereisen was named co-MVP with Dallas Baptist's Brooke Clark.

Sioux Falls 3, Harding 0 (27-25, 25-23, 26-24):
The Lady Bisons started the first set with a 6-0 run, but the Cougars were able to answer with a 6-1 run to make it a one-point contest. After this, a back-and-forth affair occurred until the end of the set. The Lady Bisons took a 25-24 lead for set point, but a kill from freshman Brooklynne Albrecht and two Lady Bison attack errors turned the set around for the Cougars' 27-25 set one win.

The Cougars continued their momentum swing in the second set, starting on their own 6-0 run. The 6-0 lead was increased to a 9-3 lead for the Cougars, but the Lady Bisons surged to make it a two-point set. Later in the set, a 7-3 run got the Cougars ahead 23-18, but the Lady Bisons did not falter, going on a 5-1 run to make it 24-23. Goerger finished the set on the next rally with a kill, putting the Cougars ahead 25-23.

Midway through the third set, the Lady Bisons went on a 6-1 run, giving themselves a comfortable 15-9 lead. Down 17-11, the Cougars heated up, taking 11 of the next 15 rallies to make it a 22-21 lead for the Cougars. The Lady Bisons were able to take a 24-23 lead for set point, but kills by Byers and another kill from Jacobson sealed the set for the Cougars and the 3-0 match victory.

Sioux Falls 3, Texas Woman's 1 (26-24, 13-25, 25-23, 25-22):
With a 10-10 tie in the first set, the Cougars were able to get some separation, charging ahead on an 8-3 run. The Cougars got pushback from the Pioneers later in the set, seeing their 22-18 lead turn into a 24-23 deficit and set point for the Pioneers. The Cougars were able to corale and get the next two rallies for a Cougars' set point, which Albrecht capitalized on with a kill to put the Cougars ahead 1-0 in the match.

The Cougars got ahead early 3-2 in the second set, but the Pioneers answered with a crucial 11-3 run. The Cougars were able to get within three points of the Cougars, but the Pioneers were able to finish the set taking 12 of the final 15 rallies for a dominant 25-13 set two victory to tie the match 1-1.

Out of intermission, the Pioneers were still able to keep their momentum going, starting the set on a 5-1 run that the Cougars quickly negated to 5-5 tie. The Cougars and Pioneers battled to a Pioneers 14-13 lead. The Cougars went on a 5-0 run that eventually proved to be the difference when the Cougars progressed to a 24-23 lead. Fox finished the set with a kill to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Pioneers started hot in the fourth set, putting the Cougars in an 8-1 hole at the beginning of the set. A crucial 11-1 run by the Cougars gave USF a 12-9 lead. The Pioneers were able to tie the game and forced a stalemate to a 17-17 tie. The Cougars inched ahead after the tie to 24-22 lead, A service error gave the Pioneers a sideout, but Fox was able to prevail in a clutch moment with her eighth kill that won the match for the Cougars.