OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Saint Francis (Indiana) women's volleyball team wrapped up the CSM Labor Classic with two matches on Saturday, August 30.

CSM 3, SAINT FRANCIS 1 (14-25, 25-20, 22-25, 21-25)

In their first match of the afternoon, Saint Francis battled to four sets against the host Flames. 

College of Saint Mary took an early 10-4 lead in the first set. The Cougars tried to rally but fell short in the opener, 25-14.

In the second set, Saint Francis maintained the lead throughout. With the score at 22-17 in favor of the Cougars, a Saint Francis kill extended their lead to six points. SF closed out set two with a 25-20 victory, tying the match at 1-1.

The two teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle during the third set. After back-to-back kills and an attacking error by the Flames, the score was tied at 21-21. The score was tied again at 22-22, but CSM closed out the third set with a 3-0 run to retake the advantage in the match. 

The Cougars and Flames traded points in the fourth set, but it was College of Saint Mary that would come out on top to win the match by a final score of 3-1.

The Cougars finished with 49 kills and 16 total blocks. Annabelle Sweigert led SF with 14 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Daihya Chupp followed with 10 kills, while Teigen Fortkamp finished with 44 assists. Kate McMullen and Kayla Gumbel both had four block assists, and Hannah Sweeney led in digs with 23.

#18 COLLEGE OF IDAHO 3, SAINT FRANCIS 1 (25-23, 19-25, 17-25, 16-25)

Saint Francis faced off against No. 18 College of Idaho in their last match of the classic on Saturday night.

The Yotes started strong, taking an 8-12 lead in the opening set. However, the Cougars responded with a 4-1 run, narrowing the deficit to one point. The teams battled back and forth until Saint Francis forced a timeout from College of Idaho, leading 23-21. Saint Francis would defeat the Yotes by a set score of 25-23. 

Set two was also a close, hard-fought match. This time, the Yotes managed to come out on top to tie the match 1-1. 

In the third set, the Yotes took an early lead, but the Cougars rallied back to regain a three-point advantage at 14-11. College of Idaho then closed the set with a 5-0 run, winning the third set 25-17.

The Yotes maintained their momentum into the fourth set and won set four, securing the match victory.

As a team, SF recorded 32 kills, 15 total blocks and nine aces. Madison Dhoore led the Cougars with 11 kills, followed by Kayla Gumbel with eight kills. Fortkamp finished with 24 assists, while Kellyn Bertsch had a team-high 10 digs. Sweigert was a presence at the net with five block assists.

Saint Francis volleyball is now 4-8 on the season and will open Crossroads League play at Huntington University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The Cougars' first home match of the season at the Hutzell Athletic Center will be on September 10 against Indiana Wesleyan University. 

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.