Sophomore middle hitter Gina Porto led the Lady Cougars (3-2) with 12 kills and seven blocks, while junior middle hitter Jackie Albrecht added 12 kills, two aces, and a team-high 24 digs. Senior setter Kaylin Austen (left) handed out 38 assists, and senior right-side hitter Courtney Springer tallied eight kills and four blocks. Freshman defensive specialist Lauren Percival posted nine digs, while freshman middle hitter Haley Nofziger recorded three blocks. Junior middle hitter Sarah Yutzy also served up two aces against the Lady Mustangs (3-2).

“We were very inconsistent tonight, especially in the back row,” said MVNU coach Paul Swanson. “Both teams made a lot of errors, and we definitely did not play well enough to win. This was a very uncharacteristic performance for us and it is something that we will definitely have to improve on.”

Things will not get any easier for the Lady Cougars on their West Coast trip as MVNU will now travel to Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) University for a two-day tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Lady Cougars will take on Oregon Institute of Technology at 9:00 a.m. PST on Friday and NAIA No. 10 Vanguard (Calif.) University later in the day at 6:00 p.m. PST.