MARION, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set battle to No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan University on Wednesday, October 15.

IWU won the match by a final score of 3-2, with set scores of 29-27, 25-21, 13-25, 8-25, 9-15. With the win, the Wildcats improve to 18-3 overall and remain unbeaten in league play at 12-0.

The first set saw the two teams battle back and forth. With the score tied at 24-24, the Cougars used an attacking error by the Wildcats to pull ahead by one and force an IWU timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Wildcats scored two points in a row to regain the lead, making it 26-25. After another timeout, Saint Francis responded with a 3-1 run to win set one and take the early advantage in the match.

Saint Francis carried their momentum into the second set, establishing a 10-5 lead. The Wildcats clawed their way back to bring the game within one point, with the score at 15-14 in favor of SF. Saint Francis managed to maintain their lead, forcing an Indiana Wesleyan timeout. The Cougars held off a Wildcat rally to win set two 25-21.

In the third set, Indiana Wesleyan made a strong push, jumping ahead with a 13-6 lead. Saint Francis tried to cut the deficit, but the Cougars were unable to slow Indiana Wesleyan's offensive attack as the Wildcats won their first set of the night.

The fourth set saw Indiana Wesleyan start strong, launching a 9-0 run. The Wildcats used a strong offensive performance to win the fourth, hitting .462 en route to the 25-13 victory to force a fifth set.

In the final set, Indiana Wesleyan quickly pulled ahead 10-3. Saint Francis tried to mount a comeback, but they were unable to overcome the deficit as the Wildcats secured the fifth set 15-9, winning the match.

As a team, Saint Francis recorded 39 kills, 55 digs and eight service aces. Kendal Frey led the Cougars with 15 kills, followed by Kayla Gumbel with 10 kills. Sophomore setter Teigen Fortkamp collected 32 assists, three kills and a solo block. Hannah Sweeney led the team with 21 digs, and Katie Mills had a team-high four aces.

 Up next, Saint Francis volleyball (4-20, 0-12 CL) will host Goshen College on Saturday, October 18, in the Hutzell Athletic Center. The first time the Cougars and Maple Leafs met this season, Goshen narrowly won the match 3-0 (25-14, 18-25, 22-25, 28-25, 11-15).

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. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.