SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In the ultra-competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) volleyball circuit, any team can be vulnerable in any given match. Winona State University was reminded of that Saturday afternoon. Riding high off a sweep of No. 7 Southwest Minnesota State on Friday night, the Warriors were on the wrong end of a straight set sweep at the hands of Sioux Falls.
WSU pushed the home team to extra points in sets one and two, but came away with nothing to show in the Cougars' 29-27, 28-26, 25-23 triumph.
Senior Taylor Goar led all players in the setback after returning to the front row for the first time this season over the weekend. Her 19 kills Saturday are the most since she floored 20 on November 16, 2016. Goar posted her first double-double of the year with 13 digs to go along with a season-best .271 attacking percentage.
The Warriors came out firing on all cylinders offensively with a .275 hitting percentage in set one while drilling 15 kills compared to just four errors. A kill by Paige Christopher and an ace by Megan Flom gave WSU a commanding 20-13 lead in the opening set before the Cougars roared back into contention. The Warriors arrived at game point on a kill by Sophie Wilker, 24-20, but the home team persisted.
Five straight USF points suddenly set up game point for the Cougars until Alexis Bass floored a big kill to knot the score again at 25-25. Both sides arrived at set point once more as the battle endured with Bass thwarting the Cougars again at 27-27. Sioux Falls finally was able to string together back-to-back points and outlasted WSU for a 29-27 win.
Set two was an uphill battle for the Warriors, trailing 17-12. After chipping away at the deficit, Goar floored a kill and was followed by three straight service aces from Kate Masberg in the midst of a five-point run that saw WSU claim a 22-21 edge. The game remained as a one-point Warrior advantage or tied until the Cougars again were the first to score two straight points late to take a 26-25 lead.
Christopher halted the home team's momentum and prevented the Cougar game point with a timely kill to tie the set at 26-26. Sioux Falls wouldn't be denied though and withstood Winona State with two straight blocks for the win.
Goar emptied the tank in the final set, totaling nine kills as the veteran did all she could to prevent a WSU sweep. The senior gave the Warriors a 20-19 lead which preceded a service ace by Casey Volkmann as Winona State led by two points late. However, the Cougars came from behind as they had done all afternoon to secure the victory.
Sioux Falls totaled 11 blocks, including two down the stretch in both sets two and three. Flom had a team-high five denials at the net for WSU to go along with six kills.
Winona State falls to 4-9 (1-4 NSIC) with the loss while Sioux Falls completed a pair of weekend sweeps to improve to 8-5 (3-2 NSIC).
The Warriors return home for two more challenging conference matches next weekend. Winona State hosts (RV) Augustana University on Friday night at 6 p.m. followed by a meeting with No. 19 Wayne State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
