Sioux Falls Swept by Second-Ranked Wayne State in NSIC Volleyball
The short version
- No. 2 Wayne State swept Sioux Falls 25-13, 25-19, 25-17 in Wayne, Neb.
- Sioux Falls fell to 4-10 overall and 0-6 in the NSIC; Wayne State moved to 14-1, 6-0.
- Kyleigh Tangen led USF with eight kills, eight digs and two aces; Maci Lerseth had a match-high 19 digs.
- The match followed Thursday's five-set loss to No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State.
- USF hosts Augustana on September 29 at 6 p.m. in the Stewart Center.
The Cougars dropped a three-set road decision to No. 2 Wayne State, falling to 0-6 in conference play after a tough week in the NSIC.
The University of Sioux Falls volleyball team closed out a demanding stretch of NSIC matches on Saturday with a three-set loss at second-ranked Wayne State, played at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Nebraska. The Wildcats won by scores of 25-13, 25-19 and 25-17.
The match came two days after the Cougars pushed No. 11 Southwest Minnesota State to a fifth set on Thursday, but they could not replicate that competitiveness against the nation's No. 2 team on its home court. The result dropped Sioux Falls to 4-10 on the season and winless in conference play at 0-6, while Wayne State improved to 14-1 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the NSIC.
Wayne State seized command of the first set almost immediately, turning a 5-2 edge into a 12-2 cushion with a seven-point surge. Kills from Kyleigh Tangen, Aubrey Gates and Haley Wolfe helped Sioux Falls find some rhythm, and a late three-point run that included a block by Ella Walker and Hollie Peterson offered a spark, but the Wildcats scored the final four points to close it out 25-13.
Sioux Falls answered with its most competitive frame in the second set. Down 4-1 early, the Cougars drew level at 4-4 thanks to a Wayne State attack error, a block involving Walker and Abby Haus, and a service ace from Faith Van Eck. Walker's kill then gave USF a brief 7-6 edge before the Wildcats pulled away with a four-point run for a 14-9 lead. Back-to-back blocks trimmed the gap to 18-16 and later kills from Wolfe and Gates made it 22-18, but Wayne State held on 25-19.
The third set followed a similar script. Gates brought the Cougars within 7-5 before a 4-0 Wayne State run pushed the margin to 11-6, and the Wildcats eventually extended it to 21-12. Tangen delivered consecutive aces from the service line and Walker added a solo block during a late rally that got USF to 21-16, yet Wayne State claimed four of the last five points to finish the sweep at 25-17.
Individually, Tangen paced the Sioux Falls attack with eight kills on a .227 hitting clip to go with eight digs and two of the team's three aces. Wolfe contributed six kills and three blocks, while Walker and Gates added five kills apiece. Walker was the Cougars' top blocker with five, including one solo, Haus notched four, and Peterson ran the offense with 23 assists plus seven digs and three blocks. Maci Lerseth posted a match-best 19 digs in the back row.
As a team, Sioux Falls recorded 28 kills, 46 digs and nine blocks, with the third set its best offensively at 10 kills and a .139 hitting percentage. The Cougars out-blocked the Wildcats 9-10. Wayne State finished with 44 kills and hit .296 for the afternoon, with its lowest set percentage coming in the second at .244.
Sioux Falls now returns home to host Augustana on September 29 at 6 p.m. in the Stewart Center.
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