Cougars Go 1-1 at Vipers Sports Academy Classic to Start 2024 Campaign
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Florida College (FL) (0-1) | 17 | 22 | 25 | 12 | 1 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-0) | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (1-1) | 20 | 16 | 17 | 0 |
|
Keiser (2-0) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team opened the 2024 season at the Vipers Sports Academy Classic at the Student Life Center on the campus of Keiser University on Thursday, August 15. The Cougars finished day one 1-1 to start the new season.
SAINT FRANCIS 3, FLORIDA COLLEGE 1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 25-12)
USF opened Thursday morning against Florida College and started strong, earning a 2-0 lead after taking set one 25-17 and set two by a final score of 25-22. Florida College fought back to force a fourth set after earning a close 25-22 win in the third. The Cougars were able to answer back, dominating the fourth set 25-12 to open the season with a 3-1 victory.
As a team, Saint Francis hit .320 and had 49 kills, 14 block assists and nine service aces across all four sets. Senior Paige Fortkamp led the Cougars with 16 kills, while Hannah Sweeney had a team-high 11 digs. Alexa Sparks led the way with 28 assists and Kate McMullen added four block assists. Paige Fortkamp, Teigen Fortkamp, and Kellyn Bertsch each had three aces on the morning. Freshman Teigen Fortkamp also added nine kills and 11 assists.
KEISER 3, SAINT FRANCIS 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-17)
The Cougars faced the host Keiser Hawks in their second match of the day on Thursday. After a back-and-forth battle through the first 10 points of the opening set, Saint Francis was able to take a 15-13 lead thanks to a kill from Kate McMullen. The Cougars and Hawks continued to battle, but USF would fall short by a first-set score of 25-20. Keiser kept the momentum going in the second and third sets, earning a 25-16 win in the second and a 25-17 win in the third to take the match 3-0.
As a team, the Cougars tallied 30 kills, nine aces and eight block assists in match two. Paige Fortkamp led the Cougars with 11 kills followed by fellow senior Addison Shafer with 10 kills. Paige Fortkamp also led the way with 12 digs and six aces. Alexa Sparks had a team-high 15 assists, while Teigen Fortkamp added 11 assists.
The Cougars are now 1-1 on the season and will return to action on Friday, August 16 at day two of the Vipers Sports Academy Classic. The Cougars will face Columbia International University at 8:00 a.m. before concluding the classic with a match against Spartanburg Methodist College at 12:00 p.m.
Cougar fans stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars App.
