Sioux Falls, S.D.—Minnesota Crookston was looking to get a win inside the Stewart Center against the Cougars of the University of Sioux Falls.
 
The Cougars used fast starts in all three sets to sweep the Golden Eagles (11-25, 15-25, 19-25). The Golden Eagles fall to 4-14 overall (2-8 NSIC).
 
Key Players
Minnesota Crookston
Deaira Gresham, 9 kills, 33 total attacks, 6 digs
Lauren Wallace, 6 kills, 23 total attacks
Sydney Kruisselbrink, 17 assists, 9 digs
 
Key Players
Sioux Falls
KaSandra Springer, 16 kills, 27 total attacks, .481 attack percentage, 15 digs
Kenzie Byers, 9 kills, 18 total attacks
Nicole Jacobson, 8 kills, 10 digs
 
Set One
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a quick start against the Cougars, scoring the first point of the match with a huge block from Porsha Porath (So., OH, Windom, Minn.) and Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Sr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.).
 
The Cougars would lead 5-2, before a Deaira Gresham (Jr., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) kill made it 5-3 Cougars.
 
USF would go on a run to make it 14-7 and force a Golden Eagle timeout. USF would lead 16-7, before Sydney Kruisselbrink (Jr., S, Rochester, Minn.) tucked one right inside the line to cut the Cougar lead in half.
 
Minnesota Crookston would try to go on a run in the first set, but the Cougars proved to be too much in front of the Stewart Center crowd, winning set one 25-11.
 
Set Two
USF opened the second set by scoring the first four points. Minnesota Crookston would score the next two points with another Porath and Sikkink block and a Porath kill to make it 4-2.
 
Minnesota Crookston would stay tough and make it 8-5, before the Cougars scored three in a row to force a Golden Eagle timeout with the score 11-5.
 
Following the timeout, the Cougars scored two to force another timeout.
 
Minnesota Crookston was helped by a Kruisselbrink ace to try and chip away at the Cougar lead, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars went on to win the second set, 25-15.
 
Set Three
USF scored the first three points of the set, before the Golden Eagles once again got on the board with another Porath and Kruisselbrink block. Much like the second set, Porath followed it with a kill to make it 4-2, Cougars.
 
The Golden Eagles would score again with the help of a KaSandra Springer attacking error. After the Springer error, USF scored five straight to take a 9-3 lead and force a Golden Eagle timeout.
 
Shelby Dunbar (Fr., MH, Fertile, Minn.) collected her first kill of the night to make it a 10-5 Cougar lead.
 
From that point on, the match would be back and forth. Minnesota Crookston would cut the Cougar lead to 15-12 after a Gresham kill.
 
The Cougars would lead 19-13, before the Golden Eagles would score three straight once again to make it 19-16 in favor of USF.
 
USF would force a Golden Eagle timeout after a Nicole Jacobson kill gave the Cougars a 22-18 lead.
 
The Cougars would hold off the Golden Eagles to win the set 25-19 and the match three sets to zero.
 
Minnesota Crookston is back in action tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. against No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, Minn.