CHADRON, NEB. - The University of Sioux Falls volleyball team continued its hot start to the season, taking their Saturday morning match against South Dakota School of Mines & Technology 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23). Then the Cougars finished the tournament with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-22) victory over host Chadron State to leave Nebraska with a 4-0 record to start the season.

The Cougars were led by Abby Feyereisen who had a combined kill percentage of .404 between both contests.

KaSandra Springer, who tied Kirsta Goerger's total for the second most service aces in a game (6, 2018) in USF's NCAA Division II program history on Friday, tied this mark again with six aces against South Dakota Mines. Between both days, Springer totaled 18 aces.

The Cougars will look to continue their 12-set winning streak to start the season on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Denton, Tex., for the Pioneer/Patriot Tournament. Of the four matches the Cougars will play, the key one could be against Harding on Saturday. Harding made it to the NCAA Central Regional Tournament as the 8-seed and upset the host of the Central Regionals in Nebraska-Kearney.

(RV) Sioux Falls 3, South Dakota Mines 0
In their morning match, the Cougars were able to keep control from start to finish against South Dakota Mines with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-23) victory over the Hardrockers.

The Cougars had a plethora of success at the start of matches, and that continued against the Hardrockers in set 1, beginning the set on a 5-0 run to force an early timeout by the Hardrockers. Out of the timeout, the Cougars continued their hot streak, going 8-4 to a 13-4 lead and yet another Hardrockers timeout. After the second timeout by SDSMT, both teams scored evenly to a 25-16 Cougars' set 1 win.

Set 2 was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading punches to an 18-18 score, but after this score, the Cougars started to gain momentum, going on a 5-2 run to a 23-20 lead and forcing a timeout by SDSMT. Again, both teams were equally matched out of a timeout, but the breathing room the Cougars built proved to be the difference in their 25-22 set 2 victory.

USF started set 3 on another 5-0 run, but SDSMT was quick to answer with their own 8-3 run to tie the set 8-8. Much like set 2, set 3 was evenly played. Eventually the Cougars were able to get some room and force a timeout with an 18-15 lead. A 4-4 even run forced SDSMT to take their final timeout of the set down 22-19. SDSMT slowly crept closer to the Cougars, but it was the Cougars that came out victorious in the set, and consequently the match.

(RV) Sioux Falls 3, Chadron State 0
After their first three matches, the Cougars were pitted against the host of the Best Western West Hills Inn Classic, Chadron State. The Cougars did not disappoint, claiming their fourth consecutive straight-set victory by a score of 25-16, 25-18, 25-22.

The Cougars were able to get things rolling in the first set, getting an 11-5 lead before a small, unscheduled intermission took place due to rotation confusion. Once the game continued, the Cougars got three straight rallies to go in their favor to force an Eagles timeout. As it was against SDSMT, the Cougars and Eagles matched equally in scoring after the timeout, but the Cougars' lead was again too large for the Eagles to succumb, with the Cougars taking the first set 25-16.

Both the Cougars and the Eagles were neck-and-neck throughout the second set, and it was not until a 20-17 lead for the Cougars that either team got on a strong run, with the Cougars finishing the set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 match lead into the intermission.

Another slugfest ensued midway through the third set, with the Cougars holding onto a 14-11 lead heading into a timeout. The teams were trading rallies to a 20-16 Cougars' lead, which was threatened in the closing rallies before the Cougars got the match point and seal the 12-0 set finish in Chadron.