LIBERTY, Mo. - The No. 13-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to post a five-set win over the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday morning.

The Bearcats won by set scores of 25-20, 12-25, 29-31, 25-23 and 15-13. Northwest improved to 2-1 on the year, while USF fell to 1-3.

Northwest came out strong with a 25-20 win in the opening set. Northwest hit .242 with 12 kills and four errors. Olivia Dir secured four kills in the first set to pace the Bearcat offense. Ella Caffery delivered two service aces to boost the cause. 

USF blitzed Northwest in the second set with a 25-12 victory.

Northwest looked to take control in the third set and held a 24-21 lead. However, USF battled back and eventually tallied a 31-29 triumph. The third set featured 16 ties and four lead changes.

Northwest put up a strong effort in the fourth after falling behind 17-13. Northwest out-scored USF 12-6 to gain a 25-23 win in the fourth that forced a fifth set.

The fifth set featured 10 ties and five lead changes before Northwest was able to prevail, 15-13.

The match had 41 ties and 19 lead changes. USF had 66 kills and Northwest had 64 kills in the five-set thriller.

Dir led the Bearcats with 14 kills. Gabrielle Gartner gained 12 kills. Caffery secured a double-double with 38 assists and 14 digs. Kyah Luhring tallied a team-high 22 digs.