UMD Women Drop 2nd Straight

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

After winning its first 21 games of the season, the University of Minnesota Duluth was handed its second loss in as many games on Friday night at Romano Gymnasium. The University of Sioux Falls put together an outstanding team performance to knock off the top-ranked Bulldogs.

Despite the loss, UMD outhit the Cougars by a slim margin – .297 to .289. USF’s defensive play on the net seemed to prove an advantage, as they recorded nine blocks while disrupting plenty of other Bulldog attacks. UMD was led offensively by sophomore right side hitter Sarah Kelly, who downed a career-high 18 kills on 32 attacks, good for a .344 attack percentage. Three other Bulldogs also broke double digit kills – senior middle blocker Sydnie Mauch (16), senior outside hitter Taylor Wissbroecker (13), and sophomore outside hitter Makenzie Morgen (11). UMD got defensive contributions all around, with Morgen leading picking up 18 digs to cap off the night with her seventh double-double of the season. Junior setter Sarah Heesacker racked up a career-high 11 assists. The Sioux Falls attack was led by sophomore middle blocker Lexi Scott, who picked up 19 kills while hitting .400.

UMD was able to grab an early lead in the match following a first set 25-22 victory. Much like the remainder of the match, the two teams were closely contested before the Bulldogs ended the set by running off four straight points. Four UMD players recorded four or more kills in the opening set — junior middle blocker Allison Olley led the team with five kills.

Sioux Falls stepped up defensively in the second frame, limiting the Bulldogs to a hitting percentage of just .212. The Cougars held the lead for much of the set, but UMD fought back to grab a late 22-21 lead. That would be the last time the Bulldogs found themselves on top however, as USF rattled off four of the next five points to take the 25-23 victory.

The third set proved to be a battle of the offenses, with Sioux Falls putting up a match-high .387 hitting percentage to UMD’s .344. The teams played to their most closely contested set of the night, exchanging 14 ties. USF was able to take a 24-22 edge late in the set, but the Bulldogs fought back to tie the score at 24 a piece. The Cougars would go on to grab the next two points to take a 26-24 victory and a 2-1 match lead.

UMD wasn’t prepared to go away in the fourth set, as they put together a dominating performance. The Bulldogs hit a match-high .600, downing 13 kills and committing just one error. UMD fell behind 4-2 early, but quickly gained the lead and did not give it up the rest of the way. The Bulldogs concluded the set with a service ace from Wissbroecker to even the match with a 25-17 win.

For the fourth time of the 2016 season, UMD headed to a decisive fifth set. The Sioux Falls defense stepped up yet again, holding the Bulldogs to hitting just .080. UMD hit an uncharacteristic six errors in the final frame, ending the match with a 15-10 USF victory.

The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow night with a matchup of the top two teams in Division II, as Southwest Minnesota State University will contest UMD at Romano Gym. Opening serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. The University of Minnesota Duluth is offering free admission to all fans for tomorrows showdown.