FORT WAYNE, Ind. - On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (12-10; 6-4 Crossroads) traveled to Huntington, Indiana to take on the Huntington University Foresters (8-13; 4-6 Crossroads) and prevailed in four sets by scores of 17-25, 25-18, 25-20, and 32-30. 

In the opening set, the two teams battled back-and-forth until a four-point service run put the Cougars ahead by two. But the Foresters answered right back with a four-spot of their own, and would enjoy a five-point service run later in the frame as they took the opener over Saint Francis by eight.

Heading into the second set, the Cougars bounced right back. 

The two teams seesawed through the majority of the frame exchanging multiple leads. Then with the Cougars ahead 18-17, they scored four straight points to distance themselves from the Foresters and claimed the second set by seven to even the match at one.

A third straight back-and-forth set ensued in the third with the Cougars and Foresters showing an evenly matched struggle. But in the end it was the Cougars who with a 21-20 lead, went on a four-point service run to put an exclamation mark on the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

If the first three sets were a struggle, the fourth topped them all.

A seesaw battle ensued before the Cougars jumped ahead and led 24-19 just one point away from the match. But the Foresters showed their resilience and clawed back to score five unanswered points to tie the match at 24, and neither team was able to gain an edge. They later found themselves tied at 25, then 27, then 30. Finally, a service error followed by an attack error on the Foresters helped earn the Cougars a hard-fought 32-30 victory as they claimed their sixth win in Crossroads League play.

Throughout the match, senior defensive specialist Maile Steckelberg led the team in digs with 25, while sophomore setter Eliza Madden had a team-leading 25 assists, and junior right side Haidyn Carrico led the way in kills with 13 while sophomore outside hitter Paige Fortkamp chipped in with 12 kills of her own. 

The Cougars resume play on Wednesday evening when they return home to Hutzell Athletic Center to take on the Goshen College Maple Leafs (2-22; 0-10 Crossroads) beginning at 7:00 pm. 

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.