SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in impressive fashion Saturday afternoon, sweeping Winona State in straight sets, 25-19, 25-14 and 25-19, inside the Stewart Center. The Cougars delivered one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season, hitting .366 as a team while recording 50 kills and eight service aces to secure the conference victory.
Ella Walker led the offensive attack with a match-high 13 kills while hitting .429, while
Aubrey Gates added 11 kills at a .391 clip.
Haley Wolfe contributed eight kills without committing an attacking error, finishing with a .533 hitting percentage.
Hollie Peterson directed the offense with 43 assists, while
Kyleigh Tangen led the defensive effort with 12 digs.
Sioux Falls controlled the match from the opening set, hitting .400 and .455 in the first two frames before overcoming an early deficit in the third to complete the sweep. The Cougars held Winona State to 29 kills and a .213 hitting percentage while finishing with a 50-37 advantage in digs.
The victory improved Sioux Falls to 10-16 overall and 6-12 in NSIC play, while Winona State fell to 5-19 overall and 4-14 in conference action.
The Basics
Final: Sioux Falls 3, Winona State 0
Set Scores: 25-19, 25-14, 25-19
Records: Sioux Falls 10-16 (6-12 NSIC) | Winona State 5-19 (4-14 NSIC)
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Location: Stewart Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Attendance: 156
How it Happened
Set One | Sioux Falls 25, Winona State 19
After exchanging points to open the match, Sioux Falls established control with four consecutive points to take a 6-2 advantage. Walker contributed two kills during the run, while Haus added a kill and combined with Walker for a block.
The Cougars continued building momentum behind a strong offensive start, extending their lead to 10-3 following a service ace from
Gretchen Volk. Walker remained a consistent presence at the net, contributing five kills during the opening stretch as Sioux Falls maintained its advantage.
Winona State trimmed the deficit to 12-9, but the Cougars responded with kills from Gates, Wolfe and Haus to push their lead to 17-12. A second service ace from Volk and a kill from Tangen helped Sioux Falls extend its advantage to 20-13.
USF eventually reached set point at 24-15 before the Warriors put together a four-point run. Wolfe ended the comeback attempt with a kill to secure the 25-19 opening-set victory.
The Cougars hit .400 in the frame, recording 16 kills on 30 attempts.
Set Two | Sioux Falls 25, Winona State 14
Sioux Falls carried its momentum into the second set, opening with a 5-2 advantage behind kills from Wolfe, Tangen and Walker.
Leading 8-5, the Cougars put together a four-point run highlighted by a kill from Wolfe, two service aces from
Maci Lerseth and a solo block from Wolfe to extend their lead to 12-5.
The offensive momentum continued as Gates delivered consecutive kills and Peterson added a service ace to give Sioux Falls a commanding 15-6 advantage.
Walker and Tangen continued to contribute offensively before
Molly Minnema entered the match and immediately made an impact. Minnema recorded two kills during the latter stages of the frame, helping the Cougars extend their lead to 22-12.
Wolfe added another kill to bring up set point, and Peterson closed the frame with a service ace to secure the 25-14 victory.
Sioux Falls delivered its most efficient offensive performance of the afternoon in the second set, hitting .455 with 17 kills and just two attacking errors.
Set Three | Sioux Falls 25, Winona State 19
Winona State looked to extend the match in the third set, jumping ahead 7-2 behind an early offensive surge.
The Cougars answered with a decisive run of their own. Trailing 8-5, Sioux Falls scored nine consecutive points behind kills from Gates, Peterson and Walker, along with a block from Walker and Gates, to take a 14-8 advantage.
Walker continued to lead the offense, while Lerseth contributed a service ace to help Sioux Falls extend its lead to 16-10. Consecutive kills from Gates pushed the advantage to 18-11 as the Cougars moved closer to completing the sweep.
After Winona State trimmed the deficit, Minnema delivered three kills during the closing stretch, including the point that gave Sioux Falls a 24-15 lead.
The Warriors made one final push, scoring four consecutive points to cut the advantage to 24-19, but Gates delivered the match-winning kill to secure the 25-19 victory and complete the Senior Day sweep.
Sioux Falls finished the third set with 17 kills while hitting .263.
Key Cougars
Ella Walker led Sioux Falls with 13 kills on 21 attempts, hitting .429 while adding two block assists. Walker finished with a match-high 14 points and helped establish the Cougars' offensive rhythm throughout the afternoon.
Aubrey Gates recorded 11 kills on 23 attempts while hitting .391. Gates added three digs and two block assists, finishing with 12 points and delivering the match-winning kill in the third set.
Haley Wolfe turned in an efficient performance at the net, recording eight kills on 15 attempts without an attacking error for a .533 hitting percentage. Wolfe also contributed one solo block and one block assist.
Molly Minnema provided a spark off the bench, recording five kills on just six attempts without an error for a team-best .833 hitting percentage. Minnema made an immediate impact in the second set and added three kills during the closing stages of the third.
Hollie Peterson directed the Cougar offense with 43 assists while contributing six digs, two kills and two service aces.
Kyleigh Tangen recorded five kills and a team-high 12 digs, while
Maci Lerseth added 10 digs, three service aces and an assist.
Gretchen Volk contributed eight digs and three service aces, while
Faith Van Eck finished with seven digs and an assist.
Abby Haus added six kills and a block assist.
By the Numbers
- .366 – Team hitting percentage for Sioux Falls, finishing with 50 kills and just 13 attacking errors.
- 50 – Total kills recorded by the Cougars, compared to 29 for Winona State.
- .455 – Sioux Falls' hitting percentage in the second set, with 17 kills and just two errors.
- 43 – Assists recorded by Hollie Peterson.
- 13 – Match-high kills from Ella Walker.
- .833 – Hitting percentage for Molly Minnema, who recorded five kills without an error on six attempts.
- 8 – Service aces for the Cougars, including three each from Maci Lerseth and Gretchen Volk.
- 12 – Team-high digs from Kyleigh Tangen.
- 9 – Consecutive points scored by Sioux Falls in the third set to turn an 8-5 deficit into a 14-8 advantage.
- 3 – Consecutive sets won by Sioux Falls to complete the Senior Day sweep.
Up Next
Sioux Falls will hit the road next weekend to take on St. Cloud State and Minnesota State in their final regular season matches. The Cougars are slated to take on the Huskies November 6 at 6pm in St. Cloud, Minnesota followed by a 3pm matchup against the Mavericks on November 7 in Mankato.
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