OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team dropped two matches to No. 16 Viterbo University and Peru State College at day one of the CSM Labor Day Classic on August 29.

#16 VITERBO 3, SAINT FRANCIS 0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-20)

In their first matchup of the day, the Cougars faced the V-Hawks, who are ranked No. 16 in the NAIA Preseason Poll.

The two teams opened the match by trading points in the first set. With the score at 9-8 in favor of Viterbo, the V-Hawks pulled ahead to extend their lead to eight points. Viterbo went on to win the first set 25-10. 

In the second set, the V-Hawks took a 13-10 lead. The Cougars attempted to rally, but were unable to reduce Viterbo's lead, resulting in a loss in set two.

The Cougars hit .267 in the third set as they battled with Viterbo. Despite their efforts, the V-Hawks narrowly won set three 25-20, taking the match 3-0.

Saint Francis was led by Daihya Chupp with nine kills, followed by Kendal Frey with eight kills. Teigen Fortkamp recorded 27 assists and a block assist for the Coguars, while Hannah Sweeney had a team-high 12 digs.

PERU STATE 3, SAINT FRANCIS 1 (25-21, 12-25, 19-25, 23-25)

Saint Francis faced off against Peru State in their second matchup of the day. The Coguars fell to the Bobcats in a hard-fought four-set match.

In the first set, the Bobcats took an early lead at 14-8. However, the Cougars fought back and managed to take a 16-15 lead. The two teams then went back and forth, but the Cougars pulled ahead 23-20 before securing the set with a kill and a Peru State error, winning it 25-21.

The Bobcays rallied in set two, winning the set by a final score of 25-12 to tie the match at 1-1. 

The third set saw both teams trading points, but the Bobcats pulled ahead late to win the set 25-19, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

SF went on a 4-1 run to take a 10-7 lead in the fourth set. Peru State rallied to tie the score at 11-11, continuing the back-and-forth battle. With the score tied at 20-20, the Bobcats secured two points before Emily Hughes made a kill, narrowing the gap to 22-21. Despite the Coguars' efforts, Peru State held on to win the fourth set and the match.

The Cougars recorded 45 kills and 17 total blocks against the Bobcats. Kayla Gumbel led SF with nine kills while adding five block assists. Annabelle Sweigert and Madison Dhoore contributed seven kills apiece, and Fortkamp finished with 33 assists. Kate McMullen led with six block assists, while Sweeney led in digs with 17.

Up next, Saint Francis volleyball (4-5) will face the host College of Saint Mary and No. 18 College of Idaho as the Cougars wrap up play at the CSM Labor Day Classic.

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, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis 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 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,800 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.