RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls volleyball team opened its 2026 home schedule on Friday evening during the first of three matches while hosting the Falcon Invite, defeating Lake Forest College 3-1.
The Falcons came out strong, taking the opening two sets 25-12 and 25-17. Lake Forest answered in the third set, edging UWRF 25-22, but the Falcons quickly regained control in the fourth, cruising to a 25-15 victory to close out the match.
UWRF had a season-high .315 hitting percentage with 54 kills on 130 attacks and just 13 errors. The Falcons also recorded 11 service aces and eight block assists.
Emily Brenner led the Falcons with 11 kills and six aces, while Ava Goldsberry added 10 kills on a .474 hitting percentage. Lauren Noth had eight kills while hitting .412, and Blessing Adebisi added six kills without an error.
Cora Sayotovich finished with 19 assists, 12 digs and two aces, while Olivia Noble added 18 assists. Audrey Petersen led UWRF with 21 digs, and Brenner contributed 11 digs.
The Falcons set the tone immediately in the first set, hitting .462 with 13 kills and just one error. UWRF carried that momentum into the second, posting a .257 attack percentage and building a 2-0 advantage.
Lake Forest responded in the third set, taking advantage of a stronger offensive showing to claim the frame 25-22. The Foresters hit .306 in the set, but UWRF answered with a steady fourth-set performance, hitting .273 while limiting Lake Forest to a 15-point finish.
The Falcons finished with a 54-37 advantage in kills and a .315-.093 edge in hitting percentage.
UWRF, now 4-1 overall, continues the Falcon Invite tomorrow, facing Concordia University Wisconsin at 1 p.m. and Bethel University at 5 p.m.
