SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team closed out the weekend with their second consecutive sweep Saturday afternoon, completing a perfect weekend inside the Stewart Center with a 3-0 sweep of Minnesota Crookston. The Cougars secured the victory with set scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-14, highlighted by career milestones from Maci Lerseth and Abby Haus.
Lerseth surpassed 700 career digs, while Haus reached 500 career kills as Sioux Falls went 2-0 on the weekend. The Cougars delivered an impressive offensive performance, hitting .370 with 41 kills while limiting the Golden Eagles to a .102 hitting percentage. Ella Walker led the attack with 13 kills on a remarkable .765 hitting percentage, while Kyleigh Tangen added 11 kills and three service aces. The victory improved Sioux Falls to 8-13 overall and 4-9 in NSIC play.
The Basics
Final: Sioux Falls 3, Minnesota Crookston 0
Set Scores: 25-16, 25-18, 25-14
Records: Sioux Falls 8-13 (4-9 NSIC) | Minnesota Crookston 3-18 (1-12 NSIC)
Location: Stewart Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
How It Happened
Set One | Sioux Falls 25, Minnesota Crookston 16
Minnesota Crookston opened the match with a 2-0 advantage, but the Cougars quickly responded, using kills from Haus, Walker and Gates to work their way into the lead. The opening frame featured eight ties and five lead changes before Sioux Falls began to separate itself midway through the set.
Trailing 14-13, USF put together a four-point run behind kills from Tangen and Walker and a service ace from Lucy Larson to take a 17-14 advantage. The Cougars continued their momentum, extending the lead to 22-15 following consecutive kills from Walker and a service ace from Tangen.
Sioux Falls closed the opening frame with three consecutive points, including a block from Wolfe and Peterson to secure the 25-16 victory. The Cougars hit an impressive .478 with 13 kills and just two attacking errors in the set.
Set Two | Sioux Falls 25, Minnesota Crookston 18
The Cougars carried their offensive momentum into the second set, opening with a 5-1 advantage behind three consecutive kills from Haus. Sioux Falls continued building its lead, using a pair of service aces from Tangen to stretch the advantage to 12-6.
Minnesota Crookston responded with a run to take a 16-15 lead, but the Cougars answered with five consecutive points. A service ace from Gretchen Volk and a block from Walker and Haus highlighted the run, putting Sioux Falls back in control at 20-16.
USF maintained its advantage down the stretch, with kills from Haus, Tangen and Gates helping the Cougars reach set point. Walker closed the frame with a solo block, securing the 25-18 victory and giving Sioux Falls a commanding two-set advantage.
Set Three | Sioux Falls 25, Minnesota Crookston 14
Sioux Falls wasted little time establishing control in the third set, jumping ahead 4-1 behind three early kills from Tangen. The Cougars extended their advantage to 9-2 following a four-point service run from Larson, capped by a kill from Walker.
The Cougars continued their offensive efficiency, building a 15-7 lead before stretching the margin to 22-12 behind consecutive kills from Walker, Haus and Tangen. Sioux Falls hit .464 in the final frame, recording 16 kills against just three attacking errors.
Walker delivered the final two kills of the afternoon, securing the 25-14 victory and completing the Cougars' second straight sweep.
Key Cougars
Maci Lerseth reached the 700-career-dig milestone in the second set, finishing with a match-high 14 digs to anchor the Cougar defense. Lerseth also contributed three assists as Sioux Falls limited Minnesota Crookston to just 27 kills and a .102 hitting percentage.
Abby Haus also reached 500 career kills in the second set, adding seven kills on 16 attempts while hitting .313. Haus also contributed two digs and a block assist, helping Sioux Falls maintain its offensive efficiency throughout the afternoon.
Ella Walker delivered a dominant offensive performance, recording a match-high 13 kills without an attacking error on 17 attempts for an outstanding .765 hitting percentage. Walker added four blocks, including a solo block, and finished with a match-high 15.5 points.
Kyleigh Tangen provided another strong performance, finishing with 11 kills while hitting .412. Tangen also recorded three service aces, five digs, two assists and a block assist, contributing 14.5 points.
Aubrey Gates added six kills and a block assist, while Haley Wolfe contributed three kills and three blocks, including one solo block.
Hollie Peterson directed the Cougar offense with 34 assists, adding two digs, two blocks and a service ace. Faith Van Eck contributed six digs, while Lucy Larson and Gretchen Volk each added three digs and a service ace.
By the Numbers
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700 – Career digs surpassed by Maci Lerseth, who finished with a match-high 14 digs.
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500 – Career kills reached by Abby Haus, who added seven kills in the victory.
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.765 – Hitting percentage for Ella Walker, recording 13 kills without an error on 17 attempts.
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.370 – Team hitting percentage for Sioux Falls, finishing with 41 kills and just 11 attacking errors.
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34 – Assists recorded by Hollie Peterson to lead the Cougar offense.
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7 – Team blocks recorded by Sioux Falls, compared to four for Minnesota Crookston.
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6 – Service aces for the Cougars, including three from Tangen.
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.102 – Hitting percentage for Minnesota Crookston, held to 27 kills across three sets.
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6 – Consecutive sets won by Sioux Falls during its perfect weekend at the Stewart Center.
Up Next
Sioux Falls will hit the road next weekend to take on Bemidji State on Friday, October 23 at 6pm in Bemidji before traveling to #17 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday for a 2pm match to close the weekend. USF will head down the street on October 27 to take on Augustana before returning to the Stewart Center for their final two home matches of the season against Concordia-St. Paul on October 30 and Winona State on October 31.
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