FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis Cougars (11-9; 5-3 Crossroads) traveled to Spring Arbor, Michigan on Wednesday night to take on the Spring Arbor University Cougars (10-9; 1-7 Crossroads) and prevailed in four sets by scores of 25-21, 25-17, 18-25, and 25-12.

After facing three straight ranked conference opponents, the Cougars had been tested greatly over the past week and came into Wednesday's match determined to come out victorious.

In the first set the Cougars jumped out to a 7-4 lead, but Spring Arbor fought back and tied the Cougars on several occassions. The next several rallies went back-and-forth until a kill by sophomore defensive specialist Addison Shafer put Saint Francis ahead 18-17, and they never looked back scoring on eight of the last 12 rallies to claim the first set by four.

The second set saw much of the same from the Cougars jumping out to a 6-2 lead in the early going. They then continued to build their lead over Spring Arbor until they found themselves leading by nine late in the frame. The set ended with the Cougars holding strong to a seven-point victory as they took a commanding two-game lead in the match.

Spring Arbor came out though in the third set and showed resilience as they fought the Cougars point-for-point throughout the frame. They then took advantage of a five-point service rally and paved their way to a seven-point win to close the score in the match to 2-1. 

Heading into the fourth set the Cougars knew there was no more time to waste as they took advantage of a four-point and five-point service run to claim the set by 13 and prevail in four sets. 

Throughout the match sophomore setter Alexa Sparks led the Cougars in assists with 39, while senior defensive specialist Kylie Topp led the way in digs with 20, and sophomore outside hitter Addison Shafer led the way in kills with 15.

The Cougars resume play on Friday evening when they return home to Hutzell Athletic Center to take on the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars (16-4; 3-4 Crossroads) set to begin at 7:00 pm.

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.