GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Taking on not only the conference's top team, but also one of the top programs in the country, the University of North Dakota volleyball team fell, 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-22), to South Dakota on Sunday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. 

"We started out pretty slow," said Head Coach Jeremiah Tiffin. "We didn't pass or serve very well in our first two sets. South Dakota is a tough team to beat when we're just giving them easy balls to play. I thought in the third set we served a little tougher, passed a little better, and our offense as a result started picking it up."

It was a strong third set from the Fighting Hawks (10-14, 2-8 Summit League), as the hosts outhit the Coyotes (21-1, 10-0 Summit League), .316 to .295, but USD posted a 63% sideout percentage to hold off the late charge. 

Ashley Brueggeman paced the UND offense with seven kills on 28 swings while also adding 11 digs and an assist. Brynn Nieukirk finished second on the squad with six kills on 20 attempts following a strong performance yesterday vs. Omaha. 

Two other players reached double figures alongside Brueggeman in digs with Darian Chawialkowski tallying a game-high 15 from the libero position and Taylor Riedl also collecting 10 with a pair of block assists. Madi Hart recorded all three of UND's service aces on the afternoon to finish with four over the two-match weekend. 

South Dakota used quick starts in each of the first two sets to quickly jump on the Fighting Hawks, stretching the lead to double digits in both frames. UND was able to tighten the gap slightly in the opening stanza, but the Coyotes forced seven attack errors from the green and white to pull away for the 25-14 victory in the first. 

It was a similar story in the middle period, with USD jumping out to a quick, 13-2 advantage. The Yotes did not let up in the set, hitting at a whopping .435 clip to carry a 2-0 lead into the intermission with a 25-10 triumph. 

The third frame followed a back-and-forth storyline, as both teams took leads through the first 20 points. After falling behind 9-5, UND battled back with nine of the next 11 points to turn the deficit into a 14-11 advantage. Brueggeman tallied four kills during the run to help spark the rally while Nieukirk and Kelly Wahl combined for a block to force a USD timeout. 

Out of the timeout, however, USD rallied back with a run of its own to regain the lead, 20-16. The Hawks did not go down without a fight, clawing the score back to just a pair of points on two occassions, but the Coyotes held on for the 25-22 victory and the sweep. 

North Dakota returns to action on Friday, Nov. 1 in Macomb, Ill. for a showdown with Western Illinois. UND took down the Fighting Leathernecks, 3-2, earlier this season at the Betty.