RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - The Falcons took care of business in their first game at Page Arena this season, defeating the UW-Superior Yellowjackets in four sets. The attacking trio of Dakotah Poitra, Hannah Striggow and Karli Nielsen combined for 37 of the team's 56 kills to pull out a 25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 26-24 victory.

UW-River Falls won the first three points of the first set, but the Yellowjackets came back to keep it a close battle throughout the opening set. The Falcons were up by as much as 20-15, but UW-Superior rattled off six straight points to make it 21-20. Kills by Mallory Griffin and Hailey Huseth kept the Falcons in contention as they trailed 23-22. A kill by Nielsen and a service ace by Griffin led to an attacking error by the Yellowjackets to give UWRF a 25-23 win in the first set. Both teams played efficient volleyball in the opener as UW-Superior had 17 kills and four errors to UWRF's 18 kills and one error.

The Yellowjackets bounced back in the second set, posting a much better hitting percentage than the Falcons and began to control the set after trailing 5-6. UW-Superior quickly moved ahead 13-8, which was a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the set. A kill from Griffin and an ace from Poitra, in addition to a few Yellowjackets attacking errors, allowed the Falcons to get back into the game at 14-13. However, a kill by Brylee Colligan and an attack error from Nielsen later sealed the second set at 25-18 for the Yellowjackets.

The teams both flipped the script in the third set after UW-Superior led 8-6. The Falcons went on a run of eight consecutive points won, with three kills from Poitra and a service ace from Huseth. Kills from Savannah Breur, Nielsen and Poitra were too much for the Yellowjackets in the closing stages of the third set and the Falcons cruised to a 25-15 win. UW-Superior struggled with only six kills and seven errors in the third set.

The final set was a tight affair, with neither being able to distance themselves from their competition by more than two or three points. Nielsen performed well in crunch time, recording a kill to bring up match point at 25-24 and then combining with Lauren Boyum for a block to clinch the game. Nielsen led the team in blocks with six on the night, while Griffin led the team in digs with 23. Karlie Lief had a game-high 31 digs for the Yellowjackets, and Colligan led with 15 kills. UW-Superior made five more errors than the Falcons and recorded six fewer blocks.

The Falcons will be in action this weekend as they host the UWRF Invitational. UWRF will host St. Thomas at 5 p.m. and St. Kate's at 7 p.m. on Friday.