The University of Wisconsin Superior continued at the Bethel University Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota on Saturday afternoon and battled in a pair of tight-scoring match-ups thanks in large part to a pair of hard-hitting attackers but could not escape with a win, falling in straight sets to Nebraska Wesleyan University and Williamette University.

UW-Superior (0-4) traded scores with Williamette (1-3) to start the tournament finale, drawing even at 14-all, but the Bearcats leaped out with a pair of three-point runs to distance themselves a hand the Yellowjackets a 25-19 game one defeat. Attack errors hurt UW-Superior early in game two, with Williamette jumping out to a 5-1 lead. The 'Jackets drew even at 13-13 and again at 17-17 but the Bearcats snared 8 of the final 12 points for a 25-21 victory in the second set. The third set proved to be another tight battle but again went to Williamette, this time by three at 25-22. The Yellowjackets held the lead at 18-15 and 20-19, but a four-point swing in the favor of the Bearcats became the differencemaker that put them up 23-20 and good for the sweep.

Despite the tough loss, UW-Superior had strong offensive showings from a pair of attackers. Senior right-side hitter Alexis Landherr (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti H.S.) had 13 kills and just four errors, good for a .273 attack percentage while freshman outside Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji H.S.) hit .333 with 12 kills in the match. Alexa Dowdell had a match-high 14 for Williamette. Sophomore setter Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley H.S.) added 38 assists for the Yellowjackets while junior defensive specialist Mackenzie Dahlin (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna H.S.) had a team-high 12 digs.

Nebraska Wesleyan 3, UW-Superior 0
The Prairie Wolves swept a streaky three-set match against the Yellowjackets to start the afternoon.

Nebraska Wesleyan (3-1) notched the first two points of the match and kept UW-Superior at bay the rest of the first set. The Yellowjackets were able to secure tie scores at three, four, and five points each but a three-point run for the Prairie Wolves was enough to hold UW-Superior off and secure an eventual 25-18 game one win. The Yellowjackets took the early lead in game two, but once again the score was tied up at 5-5 but NWU scored five-straight to pull away. UW-Superior got back within two at 13-11, but the Wolves scored 7-of-the-next-9 to claim the second set 25-19.

The Yellowjackets led 8-7 in game three but another run, this time six-straight points for NWU, pushed them over the top to secure the sweep with a 25-17 third set win. Colligan grabbed a double-double for UW-Superior with 11 digs and a team-high 12 kills while hitting .296 in match number one. VerWay totalled 32 assists for the Yellowjackets while junior defensive specialist Jasmine Richardson (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) hauled in 13 digs. Malory Dahl had a game-high 14 kills for the Prairie Wolves, who hit .330 on the afternoon. UW-Superior hit .180 as a team.

UP NEXT
The Yellowjackets will be back near the Twin Cities on Tuesday evening as they travel to St. Olaf College to take on the host Oles and Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. Opening serve is set for 5:00 p.m.