BEMIDJI, MINN. –The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team battled Bemidji State Friday evening in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action, falling 3-1 inside BSU Gymnasium. The Cougars claimed a commanding second-set victory and narrowly missed taking the third, but the Beavers secured the match with set scores of 25-20, 15-25, 26-24 and 25-21.
The evening was highlighted by a career milestone for
Hollie Peterson, who surpassed 700 career assists while directing the Cougar offense. Peterson finished with 41 assists, four kills and a service ace, helping Sioux Falls record 52 kills and a .230 hitting percentage.
Aubrey Gates led the Cougars with 12 kills, while
Ella Walker added 11 kills and four blocks.
Maci Lerseth anchored the defense with a match-high 21 digs as Sioux Falls moved to 8-14 overall and 4-10 in NSIC play.
The Basics
Final: Bemidji State 3, Sioux Falls 1
Set Scores: 20-25, 25-15, 24-26, 21-25
Records: Sioux Falls 8-14 (4-10 NSIC) | Bemidji State 15-7 (7-7 NSIC)
Location: BSU Gymnasium | Bemidji, Minn.
How It Happened
Set One | Bemidji State 25, Sioux Falls 20
The opening frame featured nine ties and four lead changes as both teams battled for momentum. Sioux Falls found early success offensively, using kills from Gates, Haus and Wolfe to remain within striking distance of the Beavers.
After falling behind 15-12, the Cougars responded with kills from Tangen and Walker to trim the deficit to 15-14. Bemidji State answered with a four-point run to extend its lead to 19-14, but USF continued to battle.
Gates and Walker helped Sioux Falls cut into the advantage late in the set, with Walker recording a pair of kills in the closing stretch. However, the Beavers maintained their lead to secure the opening frame, 25-20.
The Cougars recorded 14 kills in the set, with Gates leading the offensive effort.
Set Two | Sioux Falls 25, Bemidji State 15
Sioux Falls responded with a dominant second-set performance, opening the frame with five consecutive points behind the serving of Peterson. The run featured a Peterson service ace and kills from Gates and Peterson, establishing early momentum for the Cougars.
USF continued its strong start, extending its lead to 9-1 following a block from Tangen and Wolfe and multiple Bemidji State attacking errors. The Cougars maintained control throughout the frame, stretching their advantage to 14-6 before building a 21-13 lead behind a service ace from
Gretchen Volk.
Sioux Falls closed the set with kills from Haus and Peterson before Tangen delivered a service ace on set point to secure the 25-15 victory.
The Cougars hit .381 in the second frame, recording nine kills against just one attacking error while holding Bemidji State to a -.037 hitting percentage. USF also registered three service aces and three blocks in the set.
Set Three | Bemidji State 26, Sioux Falls 24
The third set proved to be the closest of the evening, featuring 10 ties and two lead changes. Bemidji State jumped ahead 3-0, but the Cougars quickly worked their way back behind kills from Gates, Haus and Walker.
Trailing 7-5, Sioux Falls used a service ace from Lerseth and consecutive kills from Wolfe to take a 10-8 advantage. The teams continued trading points before the Beavers built a 20-16 lead.
USF answered with a late rally, using a kill from Haus and a block from Walker to pull even at 21-21. Bemidji State regained the lead, but the Cougars continued responding, with Tangen delivering consecutive kills and Gates adding another to tie the set at 24-24.
The Beavers claimed the final two points to escape with a 26-24 victory and take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Sioux Falls recorded 16 kills and hit .300 in the third frame, with Gates and Wolfe providing key offensive contributions.
Set Four | Bemidji State 25, Sioux Falls 21
The Cougars continued battling in the fourth set, which featured eight ties and six lead changes. Sioux Falls used early kills from Tangen and Walker to take a 6-4 advantage before the teams exchanged points throughout the opening stretch.
After falling behind 10-8, USF responded with a three-point run behind a kill from Wolfe, an attacking error by Bemidji State and a kill from Tangen to take an 11-10 lead.
The Beavers answered with a five-point run to build a 15-12 advantage before extending their lead to 18-13. Sioux Falls continued fighting, using kills from Haus, Walker and Gates to narrow the deficit.
A block from Walker and a kill from Gates helped the Cougars remain within striking distance late, but Bemidji State held on for the 25-21 victory to secure the match.
Key Cougars
Hollie Peterson reached the 700-career-assist milestone, finishing with 41 assists to lead the Cougar offense. Peterson also contributed four kills, three digs, one service ace and a block assist while directing Sioux Falls to 52 kills and a .230 hitting percentage.
Aubrey Gates led the Cougars offensively with 12 kills on 38 attempts, adding two block assists and two digs. Gates finished with 13 points and provided several important kills during the closely contested third and fourth sets.
Ella Walker added 11 kills on 20 attempts while hitting .250. Walker also contributed four blocks, including two solo blocks, and finished with a team-high 14 points.
Haley Wolfe delivered a strong performance at the net, recording nine kills while hitting .240. Wolfe added five blocks, including two solo blocks, to finish with 12.5 points.
Kyleigh Tangen contributed eight kills while hitting .316, adding eight digs, one service ace and a block assist.
Abby Haus added eight kills and two digs, while
Maci Lerseth led the defensive effort with a match-high 21 digs, two assists and a service ace.
Lucy Larson contributed seven digs,
Faith Van Eck added five and
Gretchen Volk recorded a service ace and a block assist.
By the Numbers
- 700 – Career assists surpassed by Hollie Peterson, who finished with 41 assists in the match.
- 52 – Team kills recorded by Sioux Falls, compared to 54 for Bemidji State.
- 41 – Assists from Peterson to lead the Cougar offense.
- 21 – Match-high digs recorded by Maci Lerseth.
- 12 – Kills from Aubrey Gates to lead Sioux Falls offensively.
- 11 – Kills and four blocks from Ella Walker.
- 9 – Team blocks recorded by Sioux Falls, including five from Haley Wolfe.
- .381 – Cougar hitting percentage in the second set, helping USF secure a 25-15 victory.
- .230 – Overall hitting percentage for Sioux Falls across four sets.
- 27 – Total ties throughout the match, including 10 in the third set.
Up Next
Sioux Falls will travel to #20 Minnesota Duluth on Saturday for a 2pm match to close the weekend before heading down the street on October 27 to take on Augustana. The Cougars will return 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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