LA MIRADA, Calif. – An encouraging morning gave way to a rough evening for Lady Argo volleyball in the team's final game of the 2016 Biola Volleyball/Red Lion-Anaheim Summer Slam. UGF lost to #18 Southern Oregon University 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-8) after upseting #24 Northwestern College earlier in the day.
 
The match was a struggle right out of the gate for the Lady Argos, falling into a 12-4 hole in the first set. It was the defense that was the problem in that first set, with SOU essentially getting whatever setup they wanted on their way to a 0.480 hitting percent.
 
UGF's offense also functioned fairly well in that first set, tallying 13 kills with just 5 errors in 31 attempts. Things didn't go so well in the next two sets, however. The team's hitting percentage dropped into the negative in sets two and three.
 
Four UGF players with more than one attempt finished with hitting percentages in the positive. Junior Josee Pendleton and sophomore Kateri Blodgett both hit 0.125 but only combined for five total kills.
 
The kill leader for the Lady Argos was senior captain Madison Wilhelm, who finished with 8 kills while also being the team's most active player defensively.  The outside hitter led UGF with 10 digs while also being one of four players with at least one block assist. She also led the team with 8.5 points, almost one third of the team's total.
 
The fourth Lady Argo with a positive hitter percentage was middle blocker Tiffany Marks. The senior went on a tear earlier in the day against Northwestern College but cooled off a bit with 4 kills and 3 errors on 12 attempts.
 
The loss brings UGF's record to 1-3 on the season with every match so far coming against a ranked opponent. It also ends the team's trip to California for the Summer Slam. Next up will be the Big Sky Challenge hosted by Montana Tech in Butte, Mont. The first opponent will be another ranked squad, this time #t-20 Concordia (Neb.) on August 26 at Noon.