Upper Iowa lost their third straight volleyball match Saturday in Dorman Gymnasium after the University of Sioux Falls earned the 3-1 victory.  The Cougars controlled the first two sets, before the Peacocks dominated set three.  USF ran away with the second half of set four to claim the match and improve to 13-10 overall and 7-6 in the NSIC.  With the loss, UIU falls to 10-11 overall and 5-7 in the conference.

Kelsey Hinrichs led the offense with 11 kills including 6 during the second set.  Jenna Hermsen and Hailey Brown shared the setter duties with 19 and 18, respectively.  Amanda Weiss got her hands on 22 digs, while Hermsen added 10.  At the net, Haylie Franklin knocked back 7 blocks and Brown had 6 denials.

After a poor hitting first set, the Upper Iowa offense came around in the second set.  Both teams put down 13 kills and hit over .200, but a 3-0 advantage in service aces proved to be the difference in the frame.  USF claimed a 25-20 win to push out to a 2-0 lead.  Hinrichs' 6 kills were the high point of the set for the home team.

UIU came out strong after the break dominating the third set on offense and defense.  The Peacocks hit .500 with 13 kills and just one error while adding three blocks in the set.  Five different Peacocks had at least two kills in the set led by Brown and Jennifer Mundt, who each tallied three.

In the fourth set, UIU jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Sioux Falls stormed back scoring six straight points to take a three-point lead.  The Peacocks hovered in a two-point hole for much of the fourth set.  Upper Iowa trailed 16-14, but Sioux Falls went on a 9-3 run to finish both the set and the match.

Upper Iowa will head out on the road next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, when they travel to Augustana College and Wayne State College.