DENVER, Colo. –  Tougher  competition brought out some of the things Lady Argo volleyball still needs to work on, but it also showcased some encouraging aspects against some of the best teams in the country. UP dropped both of their matches on the third day of the Johnson & Wales Tournament but won one set in each of those matches.
 
The first contest of the day was the highest-ranked team on UP, or anyone else's schedule – defending national champion (1) Hastings College. The Broncos won the match 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21), but taking one set from the national champs and keeping the other sets close was a strong showing for a Lady Argo team that four days earlier lost one set to Walla Walla University who went 1-23 last year.
 
Facing by far the best defensive team they've seen this year, UP's offense, which was red hot by the end of the previous day's two matches, cooled off quickly. In the first two sets, the Lady Argos managed just 17 total kills while committing 13 hitting errors. 
 
The team turned that around in the third set, finally becoming the aggressor. UP boosted its hitting percentage above .200 for the first time all match, and holding the Broncos to as many kills as errors. 
 
Helping turn the tide in that third set was some great net defense from senior middle blocker Josee Pendleton. The team captain finished the match with a team-leading 6 block assists, helping UP out-block Hastings 12-8.
 
Joining her compile those 12 blocks were freshman middle blocker Kailey Rashford with 1 solo block and 4 block assists, and senior  rightside  hitter Mariah Diaz with 1 solo block and 3 block assists.
 
Behind those blockers in the back row was transfer junior Zuri Meehan who the previous day earned her first starting nod at libero. In both of UP's matches on the 19th, Meehan and sophomore Olivia Snead shared time as the team's libero, but it was Meehan that led the team in digs against Hastings with 19.
 
Almost right after going four sets against the number one team in the country, the Lady Argos were back on the court to take on Wayland Baptist (Texas). The Pioneers proved to be a valiant opponent, particular in their serving which led to a 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18) loss for the Lady Argos.
 
The two teams split the first two sets, with WBU winning the first 25-21 despite UP hitting a better percentage. What sank the Lady Argos in that set, and really the match as a whole, was errors. UP gave the Pioneers 7 points in the first set on Lady Argo errors and UP gave up 27 total errors.
 
What made the difference for UP in the second set was better  serve  receive. While the Pioneers had 11 aces in the match, only one of those aces came in the second set. Unfortunately for the Lady Argos, that didn't hold true in the following two games.
 
Despite the loss, a handful of freshmen put in impressive performances.
 
In the back row, Meehan had another big match while sharing the libero spot. For the second straight match, the defensive specialist set a career high in digs, this time with 25.
 
Once again Pendleton and Rashford were big in front of Meehan, combining for 3 solo blocks and 8 block assists. Pendleton also added 7 kills for a total of 10.5 points.
 
Offensively, freshman Sydney Andersen continued to be UP's go-to hitter. She was the only Lady Argo to reach double-digits in kills, totaling 15 while maintaining the highest hitting percentage of any hitting on the team.
 
UP's record goes to 4-2 after playing six matches in five days. The team will get a one day rest before traveling to Billings, Montana on Monday, August 21 where they will face MSU-Billings at noon and then have a scrimmage against Northwest College at 2 p.m.