The Falcon volleyball team split a pair of matches on the first day of the UW-Stout Invite.  UWRF fell 3-1 to St. Mary's before bouncing back to take the second match against St. Olaf 3-0.

Erin Green (Fridley, MN, Fridley) pounded out 17 kills against St. Mary's to lead a Falcon offense that just came up short.  Game scores were 22-25, 23-25, 27-25 and 17-25.  Green also had five ace blocks, which also led the Falcons.

Brianna Muetzel (Oakdale, MN, Cretin-Derham Hall) and Kaylee Jacobs (Glenwood, MN, Minnewaska) each added nine kills apiece and Danielle Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, MN, Cretin-Derham Hall) seven for a Falcon team that hit a steady .242.  St. Mary's however, was sharper, hitting .347.

UWRF was plagued by 14 service errors, compared with St. Marys' nine.

The Falcon defense was very solid as four players recorded double-digit digs.  Courtney Preiner (Oakdale, MN, Hill-Murray) led the way with 18, followed by Mackenzie Suda (Ham Lake, MN, Blaine) and Abbey Schmidtman (Renville, MN, Renville County West) with 14.  Lexi Pingel (Buffalo, MN, Maple Lake) added a career-high 13.

In the second match against St. Olaf, the Falcons earned a 3-0 sweep.  Game scores were 25-17, 25-17 and 25-20. 

Green continued to be a powerful force as she led UWRF with 16 kills throughout the match.  Jacobs added six for the Falcons, who out-hit St. Olaf, 38-26.

The defense was outstanding in the match, holding St. Olaf to a mere .029 hitting percentage.  UWRF meanwhile hit .210.  Preiner again led the defense with 21 digs.

Kadie Brooks (St. Charles, IL, East) had a career-high four service aces to help the Falcons complete the sweep.

Suda added 33 assists to help UWRF improve to 18-6 overall.

The Falcons will return to action on Saturday as they continue play in the Stout Invite.  UWRF will take on St. Ben's at 10 a.m. followed by St. Catherine at noon.

St. Mary's Box Score
St. Olaf Box Score