OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team traveled to Nebraska to compete in the CSM Labor Day Tournament on August 30-31. The Cougars played four matches against Bellevue University, the University of Saint Mary, Peru State College, and Viterbo University.

BELLEVUE 3, SAINT FRANCIS 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-17)

The Cougars opened play on Friday against Bellevue, with the Bruins taking the first set 25-13. USF and Bellevue battled back and forth through the first 10 points of the second set, but Bellevue would retake the lead and manage to hang on to win sets two and three. 

Senior Paige Fortkamp led USF with 10 kills and eight digs. Alexa Sparks tallied 15 assists during the Cougars' first match of the day, while Teigen Fortkamp added 10 assists, five kills and an ace. 

SAINT FRANCIS 3, PERU STATE 1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23)

In match two of the day on Friday, USF battled the Peru State Bobcats. The Cougars relied on 16 kills and a .371 attacking percentage en route to a 25-21 victory in the first set. In set two, Saint Francis and Peru State were trading scores. With the score tied 20-20, the Bobcats were able to snag a 23-20 lead. The Cougars' rally would fall just short as Peru State took the second set 25-23. The two teams continued to battle in the third set, until Saint Francis scored five consecutive points to bring it to set point in favor of the Cougars. After winning set three, USF was able to take a four-point lead in the fourth set thanks to an ace from Jo Delsing. Saint Francis was able to hold off a Peru State rally to win set four and take the match.

As a team, the Cougars finished the four-set match with 51 kills and a .254 hitting percentage. Paige Fortkamp led with 23 kills, four aces and four block assists. Senior Addison Shafer followed with 16 kills, while Alexa Sparks tallied 27 assists and four aces. Hannah Sweeney had a team-high 16 digs.

SAINT FRANCIS 3, SAINT MARY 2 (17-25, 25-20, 26-24, 17-25, 15-12)

Saint Francis opened day two of the CSM Tournament with a five-set thriller against Saint Mary on Saturday morning. After dropping the first set to the Spires, USF jumped out to a 12-7 lead thanks to a kill by Paige Fortkamp. The Cougars scored four straight points to make it 24-18 before Addison Shafer finished the match with a kill to tie the match at a set a piece. The third set featured a close battle between the two squads. With the score tied at 24-24, back-to-back kills by the Cougars gave USF the 26-24 win. The Spires answered, winning set four and forcing a fifth set. The fifth and final set of the match followed suit with Saint Francis and Saint Mary in a back-and-forth battle. After tying the set at 12-12, the Cougars scored the next three points to secure their second win of the tournament.

In their third match of the CSM Tournament, the Cougars totaled 53 kills and 16 block assists. Alexa Sparks recorded her 1,500 career assist after ending the match with 21 assists. Sparks also added 12 digs. Paige Fortkamp had a team-high 23 kills, followed by Addison Shafer with 13 kills. Hannah Sweeney led in digs with 24. Freshman Teigen Fortkamp led with 24 assists and five block assists.

VITERBO 3, SAINT FRANCIS 0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-16)

The Cougars concluded the Labor Day Weekend tournament with a match against the Viterbo V-Hawks, who were ranked #5 in the NAIA Women's Volleyball Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. After dropping the first two sets to the V-Hawks, USF responded with a rally in the third set, tying the score up 10-10. After a close battle, Viterbo was able to take the six-point lead as the V-Hawks won the third set and the match.

Paige Fortkamp tallied eight kills, while sophomores Kendal Frey and Caroline Jones had five kills each. Teigen Fortkamp had a team-high 12 assists and six digs. Hannah Sweeney also added six digs in the Cougars' final match on Saturday.

Up next, USF volleyball (7-5) will open Crossroads League play at home against Huntington University on September 4. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Hutzell Athletic Center. 

Cougar fans can stay updated on all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com.