ST. CLOUD, MINN. – Averey Yaksich set a season record for kills and had a match-high 21 but the University of Sioux Falls Volleyball Team (15-10, 10-7 NSIC) dropped a closely contested 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-27, 17-25) road decision to NSIC leader and No. 12 St. Cloud State (21-4, 16-1 NSIC) on Friday night (Nov. 5).

The Cougars dropped to 15-10 overall and 10-7 in the NSIC, a mark which places USF ninth in the league standings with three regular season matches to go. The Cougars are in battle for one of the eight NSIC Tournament bids and sit just one win behind five other teams at 11-6. The Cougars will face another road test tomorrow as they meet (RV) Minnesota Duluth (17-9, 9-8 NSIC, 10^th) at 4 pm in Duluth, Minn.

"We played the best we could tonight. Although I am proud of our effort, it just wasn't enough to withstand SCSU," said USF Head Coach Dan Mathews. "They're at the top of the NSIC because they never take their foot off the gas. We had a good lead (22-17, 3^rd set) to go up 2-1 in the match but SCSU battled hard in the third set to come back," he said.

A senior from Omaha, Neb., Yaksich recorded her sixth match this season with 20 or more kills with 21 on 46 attacks and five errors for a .348 hitting mark in four sets. She added an ace and five digs while scoring 22.5 points. With her performance against the nationally ranked Huskies, she moved to first all-time in kills for a season with 404. She passed Makenna Rockeman, who had 402 in 2016. Yaksich, who is averaging an NSIC-best 4.49 kills/set (top seven nationally), has had a remarkable two-match run against two nationally ranked teams in No. 13 Wayne State (3-0 USF win on Tuesday) and No. 12 SCSU. She has recorded 43 kills on 86 attacks with seven errors while hitting .419 with a 6.14 kills per set mark. In that two-match run, Yaksich has scored 46.5 points or 6.64 points/set. Additionally, she registered two service aces and three block assists while hitting .917 on receptions.

Overall, USF hit .223 against SCSU with 53 kills on 139 attacks and two errors. The Cougars had two service aces per set and eight for the game with 18 total blocks. SCSU, which had 19 kills from Phebie Rossi, who hit .667, and 16 kills from Linsey Rachel, had a .344 team hitting mark with 62 kills on 128 attacks and just 18 errors while registering 21 total blocks and 56 digs. USF had 42 digs and 50 assists.

USF had several noteworthy performances, including senior setter Krista Goerger with 44 assists or 11.0 per set and four service aces. Goerger now has 120 service aces in her career, which is a school mark. Goerger also added nine digs and 6.5 points.  In addition, the Cougars received a season-high eight kills from Madison Wassink, who added two services aces and six digs. Senior Kenzie Byers, who hit 1.000 with five kills on five attacks, also provided an important contribution. Additionally, Jordyn Hamm and Jordan Kuper supplied seven kills each and combined for 10 total blocks. Senior libero TiaRose Nagami had 10 digs and four assists.

"One of the highlights of this match was seeing Madison (Wassink) and Kenzie (Byers) come into the match and make a huge positive impact. Volleyball is really a team sport and the way they picked up their teammates was impressive," said Mathews. "We are really excited to play Minnesota Duluth tomorrow. It will be another opportunity to be our best against a good team," he said.

Scoring Summary -
In the opening set, SCSU outhit USF, .409 (16 kills) to .194 (13 kills) to earn a 25-21 decision. The Huskies opened the set with a 12-9 lead. After USF closed within, 13-12, SCSU had a 5-1 run to grab an 18-13 advantage. A kill by freshman Grace Hanel – her second of the set - helped USF draw within, 19-15.  Then, Yaksich had her fourth kill of the set, followed by Goerger's two straight service aces as the Cougars cut the lead to 21-19. However, SCSU closed on a 4-2 run to grab the opening set.   

In the second set, USF rallied from down 14-6 to win, 25-21, with a 19-7 closing run. The Cougars, which had big efforts from Yaksich (5K) and Kuper (4K), hit .235 with 13 kills, four blocks and two service aces. SCSU took a 4-2 lead before USF had a 3-1 run to tie the set at 5-5. But the Huskies answered with a 7-1 run to take a 12-6 lead.  USF responded with a 9-1 run and tied SCSU at 15-15 as Kuper had a trio of kills during the run. USF moved to a 21-18 lead and then closed on a 4-3 advantage to draw even in the match at 1-1.

In a back-and-forth third set, SCSU edged past USF, 27-25 with a late rally. Down, 22-17, the Huskies had a 10-3 run to close the set for the 2-1 lead. Both teams hit .263, had four blocks and two service aces. The Cougars had 15 kills to 16 for SCSU. In the set, the Cougars had four kills from Yaksich and a pair from Hamm to take a 7-5 lead. USF followed with a 7-5 run for a 14-10 lead before SCSU rallied with five straight points to take a 15-14 lead. Then, Yaksich had a service ace and Hamm and Wassink supplied kills as the Cougars built an 18-15 advantage. With a kill from Byers, the Cougars took a 19-17 lead over the Huskies. Down 22-17, SCSU scored six straight points to take a 23-22 lead over the Cougars, which hit a team-match-high .263 with 15 kills on 38 attacks and five errors. The Huskies closed on a 4-3 advantage for the set win.

In the fourth set, SCSU jumped to a quick, 5-2 lead before USF senior Marlee Schneider recorded USF's seventh ace of the match. Two kills from Byers helped the Cougars drew within, 8-7. However, SCSU had an 8-1 run for a 16-8 lead.  USF rallied late but fell, 25-17, to drop the match. In the set, USF hit just .194 with 12 kills on 31 attacks and six errors.