SIOUX CITY, IOWA – The York University volleyball team defeated Cottey College 3-1 in the morning session before falling to Morningside 3-0 in the nightcap of the Siouxland Invitational Saturday.

The Panthers are now 4-3 on the young season.

In the first match of the day, York slammed home 56 kills while hitting .231. The Panthers totaled 54 assists and had six aces. Additionally, the defense recorded 77 digs in the contest.

Head coach Irick Gardner's team was led by Brianna Lemke's 19-kill effort while hitting .255. Kaylee Weigel notched 10 kills while hitting .200. Emma Kerley chipped in nine kills and Kenna Tarnowski amassed seven in the victory.

Mariah Janda distributed 36 assists and tallied 11 digs for a double-double. Kaylee Clifton posted 14 assists in the victory. Ambar Ortiz and Weigel each added two aces.

Defensively, Cassie Richardson amassed an astounding 42 digs to lead everyone. Kerley and Tarnowski posted two total blocks apiece.

In the first set, the back-and-forth affair saw the score knotted at 16-16 before Avery Schneider slammed home a pass from Janda. Weigel added a kill and two plays later, Weigel went back to work for another point and a 20-18 edge. Leading 20-19, Weigel had a kill before Emma Kerley garnered back-to-back kills. Consecutive errors by Cottey College allowed the Panthers to snag the 25-19 victory.

After dropping a tightly-contested second frame 25-13, York took a 5-3 lead off a kill from Schneider. After a bad set by the home team, Schneider answered with another point, giving the Panthers a 7-3 lead. Up 12-7, an error and a kill from Aubrey Bostick made it 14-7. Leading 16-12, York got the side-out thanks to a service error. Two more miscues by Cottey and a kill from Kenna Tarnowski extended the advantage to eight, 20-12. The Panthers maintained a 22-19 lead before Kerley hammered home a pass from Clifton. An ace by Weigel and a block from Bostick and Lemke gave York a 25-19 win.

Up 8-7 in the fourth frame, an error by the Comets started a small spurt for the Panthers. Bostick registered a kill and it was followed by a point from Lemke. A bad set by the home squad, coupled with an ace by Weigel and another kill from Lemke extended the score to 14-7.

Leading 15-10, two errors and an ace from Ortiz allowed York to snag an 18-10 advantage. Cottey made it a five-point set at 21-16, but Weigel answered the bell with a kill. Up 23-17, an error made it match point. Two plays later, a service error ended the contest with the 25-17 score.

Against Morningside, back-to-back points in the early going tied it at 2-2. Kerley had a kill while Elena Brown served up an ace, knotting the score. The home squad made it 13-6 before Weigel found the court for a kill. Trailing 23-12, an error gave the serve back to the Panthers. Bostick and Ronan Merriex combined for a block before an attack error made it 23-15. However, Morningside won the frame 25-15.

Down 8-5 in the second stanza, Bostick and Merriex registered back-to-back kills. However, that was as close as the Panthers could get in the 10-point loss.

York trailed 4-2 in the third set, but an attack error allowed the Panthers to snag the serve. After another miscue by Morningside, Allison Parker served up an ace. A solo block by Tarnowski propelled the visitors to a two-point edge. Morningside answered with a 6-0 spurt before Bostick's kill stopped the run.

With the score at 15-8, an error gave York a point. Janda had an ace before Kerley found the court for a kill. A bad set made it a three-point contest. Down 19-14, three straight errors by Morningside made it 19-17. Two plays later, Maya Hughes took a pass from Parker for a kill, once again making it a two-point spread.

The Mustangs managed to hold on for the 25-20 win.

Gardner's squad was paced by Bostick and Weigel as each shared team-high honors with five kills. Kerley and Tarnowski had three kills apiece. Parker dished out eight assists while Janda tallied seven assists.

Defensively, Ortiz notched 10 digs while Richardson posted nine.

The Panthers return to action Friday, Sept. 6 when they take on Hannibal-LaGrange and Clarke University starting at 5 p.m., at the Clarke Tournament. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com.