WINONA, Minn. – The University of Sioux Falls Volleyball team opened Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Friday night with a 3-0 loss to Winona State inside McCown Gymnasium.
The Cougars battled throughout the night, including a back-and-forth opening set that went beyond 25 points, but the Warriors came away with the 27-25, 25-22, 25-20 victory. Sioux Falls moves to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in NSIC play.
The Basics
Final: Winona State 3, Sioux Falls 0
Set Scores: 25-27, 22-25, 20-25
Records: Sioux Falls 4-5 (0-1 NSIC) | Winona State 2-5 (1-0 NSIC)
Location: McCown Gymnasium | Winona, Minn.
How It Happened
Sioux Falls found itself trailing 14-7 midway through the opening set before beginning to chip away at the Winona State advantage. The Cougars pulled within two at 18-16 before eventually stringing together six straight points to turn a 20-16 deficit into a 22-20 lead. Ella Walker helped fuel the run with back-to-back kills before Adyson Knake gave USF the lead.
The teams traded points down the stretch as USF earned set point at both 24-23 and 25-24. Winona State answered each time before scoring the final three points to take the opening frame, 27-25.
USF carried its fight into the second set, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage behind kills from Bre Van Den Top and Walker along with a Haley Wolfe service ace. Winona State eventually moved in front, 11-9, but the Cougars continued to answer. USF erased an 18-14 deficit to pull within one at 18-17 and later tied the set at 22 on a Van Den Top kill. The Warriors responded with the final three points to claim a 25-22 win and take a 2-0 match lead.
Winona State built an 8-3 advantage to begin the third before the Cougars answered with a 6-1 run, highlighted by kills from Knake and Wolfe, to even the set at nine. The Warriors regained control with a 7-1 stretch and pushed their advantage to 16-10. Sioux Falls continued to battle, getting back within three multiple times, including at 18-15, but Winona State held off the comeback for a 25-20 win.
Key Cougars
Bre Van Den Top paced the Sioux Falls attack with nine kills while hitting .250, while Walker followed with eight kills and was a factor at the net with six total blocks. Wolfe added seven kills on 18 swings with just one error for a team-best .333 hitting percentage.
Knake finished with six kills, while Hollie Peterson directed the offense with 27 assists to go along with two kills, two blocks and a service ace. Defensively, Maci Lerseth led the Cougars with 10 digs, while Lucy Larson and Gretchen Volk each added six.
Key Numbers
Sioux Falls finished with 37 kills while hitting .155 as a team, compared to 43 kills and a .195 hitting percentage for Winona State. The Cougars held the advantage at the net with seven total blocks compared to six for the Warriors.
The difference came in part from the service line, where Winona State recorded eight aces compared to three for Sioux Falls. USF's strongest offensive set came in the third, when the Cougars totaled 14 kills and hit .200. The match featured 16 ties and six lead changes.
Up Next
Sioux Falls heads to #5 Concordia-St. Paul tomorrow to take on the Golden Bears inside the Gangelhoff Center at 5pm before returning home next weekend to host Minnesota State and #8 St. Cloud State.
