SEASIDE, Calif. – The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team bounced back in a big way on Friday, earning a pair of victories in California with a 3-0 sweep over Cal State San Marcos before closing the day with a 3-1 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. The two wins pushed the Cougars to 2-1 on the season.
USF was efficient throughout the day, hitting .439 against Cal State San Marcos before following with a .262 clip against Monterey Bay. Across the two matches, the Cougars totaled 104 kills and continued to get production from throughout the lineup.
Match One: Sioux Falls 3, Cal State San Marcos 0
Sioux Falls earned its first win of the season in dominant fashion, sweeping Cal State San Marcos 25-19, 25-19, 25-16.
The Cougars hit .367 in the opening set before increasing their efficiency in each frame, finishing at .400 in the second and an impressive .571 in the third. USF totaled 52 kills with just nine attack errors on 98 attempts for a .439 team hitting percentage.
After falling behind 5-1 in the opening set, Sioux Falls settled in and used a 9-2 run to take its first lead. The Cougars continued to pull away behind a balanced attack and strong serving to secure the opener. In the second, USF broke open a 14-14 set with an 8-0 run behind Gretchen Volk at the service line, then carried that momentum into the third to complete the sweep.
Ella Walker led a highly efficient Cougar offense, finishing with nine kills on 11 attempts without an error for an .818 hitting percentage. Bre Van Den Top added a match-high 12 kills on .350 hitting, while Tatum Godinez recorded nine kills on .471 hitting. Haley Wolfe and Abby Haus each added eight kills, with Wolfe hitting .667 and contributing five blocks.
Hollie Peterson finished with 22 assists, while Volk added 19 assists, four digs and two service aces. Maci Lerseth led the defense with 10 digs.
Match Two: Sioux Falls 3, Cal State Monterey Bay 1
The Cougars returned to the Otter Sports Center later in the day and completed the Friday sweep with a 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20 victory over host Cal State Monterey Bay.
Sioux Falls took control late in a tightly contested opening frame, scoring four of the final five points to grab the 25-22 win. USF then produced one of its best offensive stretches of the match in the second, hitting .414 with 15 kills to build a 2-0 advantage.
Monterey Bay extended the match with a 25-23 win in the third, but Sioux Falls answered in the fourth. After falling behind 4-0 early, the Cougars steadily worked their way back before taking control with an 8-1 run midway through the frame. USF hit .387 with just two attack errors in the final set and closed out the Otters, 25-20.
Walker again paced the offense with 13 kills and no attack errors, hitting .591 while adding a block. Haus followed with 11 kills, while Van Den Top added 10 kills on .368 hitting. Wolfe continued her efficient start to the season with eight kills on .467 hitting and was a major presence defensively with six total blocks, including two solo.
Peterson directed the offense with 27 assists and three service aces, while Volk added 18 assists. Lerseth once again led the back row with 13 digs, and Kyleigh Tangen added nine.
By the Numbers
- USF finished Friday 2-0 and improved to 2-1 overall.
- The Cougars hit .439 against Cal State San Marcos and .262 against Cal State Monterey Bay.
- USF recorded 104 kills across the two matches.
- Ella Walker combined for 22 kills without committing an attack error, hitting .667 across the two victories.
- Haley Wolfe totaled 16 kills and 11 blocks over seven sets.
- Sioux Falls finished the day with 13 total team blocks and 89 digs.
Up Next
The Cougars continue their season-opening trip in California as they close out the Otter Invite against Dominican (Calif.) tomorrow at 12pm (CST). Sioux Falls will open their home season next weekend during the Sioux Falls Volleyball Classic when they host Emporia State Thursday night at 6:30pm followed by matches against Black Hills State, Washburn, and Chadron State.
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