UW-River Falls 3, Yellowjackets 1

The Yellowjacket volleyball team was riding high after a week where they went a perfect 4-0 at the friendly confines of Mertz Mortorelli Gym, and it was hoping to carry the winning momentum into Tuesday's road match at UW-River Falls, a club entering the night with a 6-2 overall record for the year.

The home team was anything but hospitable.

After splitting the first two sets of Tuesday's thriller, it was the Falcons who found the winning formula, taking the final two sets to dispatch the Yellowjackets 3-1 before a crowd of 218 at Don Page Court. The loss brought the Yellowjackets' winning streak to an end at four.

The opening set featured tight play, with neither team able to build an extended lead. The points went back and forth, but the Yellowjackets weren't able to pull ahead until breaking a 20-20 tie on a kill from Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji). Consecutive kills by Anna Ribich (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East) broke consecutive ties, but every time the Yellowjackets got a lead the Falcons would answer. River Falls would tie the match 23-23, then serve out the final two points to win 25-23 and lead the match 1-0.

In the second set the Yellowjackets answered. Trailing by a point, Ribich and Colligan had kills as the Yellowjackets five straight points to take a 10-6 lead. Later in the set River Falls would go on a run and pull to within one at 16-15, but the Yellowjackets answered with a run of their own, winning five straight points and taking a commanding 21-15 lead, a lead they wouldn't give up, allowing them to take the set 25-18 and tie the match at 1-1.

As the third set unfolded River Falls took the early lead, but the Yellowjackets answered. An Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) kill pulled them to within one and then four straight River Falls errors gave the Yellowjackets the lead, 8-6. That's where the Falcons took over, going on a 7-0 run to pull away. The Yellowjackets never got closer than five points and River Falls took the set, 25-15, to move ahead in the match 2-1.

If the third set was a rout, the fourth was the complete opposite. Like a pair of heavyweight fighters, the Yellowjackets and Falcons traded punches in the fourth set, trading punches and points throughout. The set was tied 12 different times, with the largest lead of the set being three points. River Falls took that lead, 23-20, but the Yellowjackets fought back on kills from Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) and Bayer and an ace from Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) to tie the set at 23-23. After another kill from Howe tied things at 24-24, River Falls took the final two points to win the set 26-24 and seal the match, 3-1.

Colligan was solid for the Yellowjackets, finishing the match with a team-high 15 kills. She was no slouch on defense, either, as she contributed 20 digs. Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) had nine kills and led the team with a .348 attack percentage. Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) had 39 assists on the night and had nine digs on defense. Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) led the Yellowjackets on defense with a season-best 31 digs.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets (5-4, 0-0 U.M.A.C.) will stay on the road and play another non-conference match against Bethel. Game time from Arden Hills, Minnesota is set for 5:00 p.m. Friday, September 14.