GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Extending its winning streak to four matches, the University of St. Francis women's volleyball team claimed a pair of victories on Friday at the Aquinas University/Cornerstone University Tournament.  Moving their overall record to 8-3 on the season, the Fighting Saints opened the day defeating Concordia University (Mich.) 3-1 before finishing it with a 3-2 win over host Cornerstone (Mich.).

University of St. Francis vs. Concordia
Behind Desiree Anderson's 11 kills and 17 digs, both of which were team highs, the Saints marched on to a 25-23, 18-25, 25-11, 25-15 victory.  Anderson attacked at a .139 clip, while Taylor Connolly led the team in that field with her .333 mark on eight kills.

Kaylie Sippel and Abby Lab combined for 33 assists with Sippel gaining the slight upper hand with her 17 sets.  Lab also recorded four of the team's seven service aces.  On defense, the Saints totaled 16 blocks with four apiece from Olivia Cosgrove and Cadence Wodrich, while Lab posted 17 digs.

University of St. Francis vs. Cornerstone  
The Saints and Golden Eagles would trade punches throughout the match, alternating wins after USF authored a 25-21 victory in Set 1.  Each set would stay tight as there was no less than five even scores in each stanza, including a Set 2 25-19 Cornerstone win.  Set.3 provided the dramatics of the night as USF battled back from a four-point deficit to tie the score at 23-23.  Cornerstone looked to secure the momentum as a high-energy kill put CU one point away from victory.  Junior outside hitter Riley Hungate, however, responded with a clutch kill of her own to give the Saints a fighting chance.  Anderson later provided the nail in the coffin after a Golden Eagle attacking error to give the Saints the 26-24 win.  Cornerstone (5-3) got the match back even in Set 4 (25-20) before the Saints finished off the first-day sweep with a 15-12 win in the final set.

Three USF players contributed double-digit kills in the match topped by Anderson's 23.  Lab and Sippel combined to supply 54 assists, with Anderson posted a team-high 22 digs for her second double-double of the day.

Next Game
St. Francis will get right back at it on Saturday in the final day of the tournament.  USF will meet Cumberland University (Tenn.) at 10 am followed by a showdown with host Aquinas College (Mich.) at 2 pm.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.