Saint Francis Starts Season at 2-0 with Sweeps of FMU and WVU Tech
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Florida Memorial (FL) (0-1) | 16 | 10 | 15 | 0 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (2-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
WVU Tech (WV) (0-2) | 22 | 14 | 15 | 0 |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team began the 2025 season with two wins at the Palm Beach Juniors Classic on Friday, August 15.
SAINT FRANCIS 3, FLORIDA MEMORIAL 0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-15)
In the Cougars' first match of the Palm Beach Juniors Classic, Saint Francis swept the Florida Memorial University Lions in three sets.
After the two teams traded points to open the first set, the Cougars grabbed a six-point lead thanks to a service ace followed by a kill, making the score 11-5. Saint Francis maintained control, with the Cougars seeing their biggest lead in the first set following an FMU attacking error to make it 21-14. Another ace closed out the first set for the Cougars, giving them a 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
Saint Francis's momentum continued in the second set, with the Cougars capitalizing on back-to-back errors by the Lions to grab a 19-9 lead. The Cougars would finish the second set with a 6-1 run to win set two 25-10.
The Cougars used eight kills and seven aces in the third set as SF defeated FMU 25-15 for the 3-0 match victory. Saint Francis improved to 1-0 on the season while Florida Memorial fell to 0-1.
As a team, SF had 25 kills and 20 aces. Junior Kendal Frey led the Saint Francis offense with 10 kills on 21 total attempts. Madison Dhoore added five kills and four block assists. Sophomore Teigen Fortkamp also contributed four block assists while finishing with a team-high 15 assists. Kellyn Bertsch recorded seven aces, while Hannah Sweeney led the Cougars with 12 digs.
SAINT FRANCIS 3, WVU TECH 0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-15)
The Cougars improved to 2-0 on the season after sweeping West Virginia University Institute of Technology in their second matchup of the day.
The Cougars and the Golden Bears battled back and forth in the first set. After tying the score up at 18-18 thanks to a kill from Annabelle Sweigert, Saint Francis utilized service aces, kills and WVU Tech errors to grab a three-point lead at set-point. The Golden Bears were unable to rally as SF won set one 25-22.
Saint Francis opened set two with a 5-0 run as the Cougars forced an early timeout by West Virginia Tech. SF continued to dominate, using seven kills to extend its lead to 10 points. Saint Francis would go on to win set two 25-14 for the 2-0 advantage in the match.
Saint Francis hit .258 in the third set with 13 kills as the Cougars tamed the Golden Bears by winning set three 25-15 for their second sweep of the day.
SF had 3 total kills and 49 digs in match two. Frey led the Cougars again with 10 kills, followed by Sweigert and Dhoore with seven kills apiece. Freshman Katie Mills had a team-high 13 digs, while Sweeney tallied 11 digs. Fortkamp finished with 23 assists and three aces.
The Cougars are now 2-0 on the season and will conclude their trip to the Sunshine State at day two of the Palm Beach Juniors Classic on Saturday, August 16. The Cougars will face the University of Montana Western at 2:00 p.m. before competing against the College of Saint Mary at 4:00 p.m.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. SF Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 20 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,800 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
