UPLAND, Ind. -- After stumbling with a first-match 3-1 defeat to Huntington University (Ind.), the University of St. Francis Fighting Saints women's volleyball team closed Day 1 of the Taylor University Classic with a second 3-0 loss to NAIA No. 19-ranked Missouri Baptist University on Friday afternoon.

Sophomore setter Alyssa Teske was a multi-faceted force against Huntington as she authored a rare triple-double with her 17 kills, 10 digs and 17 assists.  The accomplishment was the first of her career and just the fourth in the past 10 seasons for St. Francis.  The last triple-double to occur for USF was in 2024 when Kaylie Sippel (11 kills, 11 digs, 11 assists) achieved the feat versus Trinity Christian College in three sets.

Huntington def. USF  (15-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23)
The Fighting Saints (1-3) started Set 1 strong against an undefeated Huntington team (7-0).  In the set, the Saints jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead via two kills from Riley Hungate.  HU followed the scoring outburst with four straight points of its own before a string of point-swapping ensued.  The Saints were able to break away later on in the set with a 6-1 run that would help pave the way to a 25-15 final score. 

Huntington out-hit the Saints in Sets 2 and 3 with .174 and .302 attack percentages, respectively, compared to USF's .122 and .098 marks.  The Saints looked to retaliate in Set 4 as the score stayed even early at a 6-6 standoff.  Twelve more ties followed until both teams saw themselves each two points away from victory at 23-23.  Two authoritative kills from HU would spell the difference in the end, however, allowing the Foresters to close out the match with a 25-23 victory.

Missouri Baptist def. USF  (25-18, 25-13, 25-18)
The Saints were able to tie the score on four different occasions in Set 1, but saw things slip away after a string of errors allowed the Spartans to capture 10 of the next 15 points in MBU's eventual first victory of the match.  Despite facing adversity in Set 2 and battling through another tough third set, USF rallied to pull within three points (17-20) in the closing set before five MBU kills resulted in Missouri Baptist taking five of the last six points to close out the match.

Hungate led the day in kills (24) and digs (35) for the Saints, while Cadence Wodrich finished with a combined five block assists between the two matches.  Delani Kirstein chipped in 10 kills, while Teske (17 kills) finished the day with a team-leading .351 attack percentage. 

Up Next
St. Francis will play again on Saturday in the final day of the Taylor University Classic.  USF will meet University of Pikeville (Ky.) at 11 am, followed by a showdown with Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) at 4 pm.

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