The Briar Cliff volleyball team fell in straight sets to the No. 10 ranked Midland Bulldogs Saturday in the Newman Flanagan Center. 
 
"I thought we started off well tonight getting out ahead of Midland. Losing to them by 7 collective points is both awesome and frustrating at the same time," said head coach Lindsey Weatherford. "I thought Reese Strouth had a great match, she was in a position to score tonight quite often and she used that to her full advantage. Baylee Greene and Taryn Nothem also payed very well and have been reliable for us down the stretch here."
 
The Chargers started strong with three kills by Sami Wasmund, two from Toria Andre and aces by three different Chargers to take a 10-5 lead in set one. After the Warriors battled to take a 22-20 lead, the Chargers scored three straight points, with a kill by Wasmund and Georgianna Wenzel, and a second ace by Baylee Greene, forcing a Midland timeout. The Warriors, however, took the set 25-23 on three straight kills. 
 
Both teams battled back-and-forth for the lead in set two, but the Warriors were able to pull ahead 17-13. The Chargers fought back with a kill from Andre and a block by Taryn Nothem and Wasmund. Midland came back by scoring five unanswered points, forcing two BC timeouts. The Warriors took set two 25-20. 
 
The Chargers came out attacking in the third set, with kills from Reese Strouth, Andre, Wasmund, and Nothem. A block by Makynna Snow and Kiersten Baker forced a Warriors timeout as BC took a 9-4 lead. Midland rallied and took the lead after scoring five straight points, but the Chargers came back with a run of 5-1, with kills by Strouth and Nothem to put them back in the lead. Facing match point, Nothem recorded a kill, tying the set at 24. A kill and a BC error put the Warriors on top and secured the 3-0 win. 
 
The Chargers ended the match with four aces, two from Greene, while Schepers and Johnsen had one each.  
 
Andre led the team with nine kills, and Wasmund tallied seven kills and four blocks. 
 
Olivia Corey and Yenne Schepers handed out 14 assists each. Avery Beller led the Cliff defense and tied her game high with 16 digs. 
 
Briar Cliff will head to Omaha, Nebraska on Friday to face College of Saint Mary. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.