Rolla, Mo. – A number of missed opportunities proved costly for the Missouri S&T Miner volleyball squad as it dropped a four set decision to Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday afternoon in Rolla. S&T took the opening set 25-22 before dropping the next three.

The Miners (3-7, 0-2 GLVC) outhit the Rangers (2-9, 1-1 GLVC) in the opening set .270-to-.244 with 14 kills in the stanza led by Claire Friedlund (Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South) and Carlie Combs (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) with five and four respectively. S&T scored five of the final seven points of the frame to break a 20-20 deadlock taking advantage of three Parkside errors along the way.

In the second set the Rangers play at the net started to take control as S&T had four attacks blocked at the net in the frame which resulted in four of its six errors in the session. Parkside held the Miners to a .114 hitting percentage in the frame while its own offense had an attack percentage of .281 with Leah Fenske accounting for of the team's 12 kills. S&T trailed by six late in the frame but thanks to four straight points, two by Friedlund, it clawed back to within 20-18 and forced a Ranger timeout. Out of the timeout though Parkside scored five of the last six points to even the match at a set apiece with the 25-19 win.

The Miners led for a majority of the third set and had a five point lead on three different occasions with the last being at 23-18. They couldn't close it out though as the Rangers scored the last seven points of the stanza to take it 25-23. Combs was blocked twice at the net by Fenske and Lexi Turek and a receive error on a serve contributed to three of the seven points.

The fourth frame saw 16 ties and seven lead changes with Parkside holding a two point edge early. Caroline Dykes (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence) put the Miners ahead 18-17 with her 10^th kill of the match but that would be their last lead of the match. The Rangers rattled off seven of the next nine points getting to match point on a block by Turek and Lauren Hickson.

S&T staved off one match point on a kill by Carson Talley (St. Louis, Mo./Affton) before Kasey Davis ended the match with her 15^th kill to give Parkside the 25-21 victory.

The Ranger defense finished the match with 15 total blocks while their offense had 58 kills compared to the Miners 44 kills. Davis and Fenske had a match-high 15 kills and Fenske had nine total blocks in the contest. Annie Leo had 17 digs to lead Parkside.

Friedlund finished the match with 15 kills and was joined in double figures by Dykes with 10 kills. Cydney Denning (San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis ) and Caitlin Brocker (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marian Central ) had 11 digs each to lead S&T.

The Miners hit the road for the first of a five-game road trip beginning in Indianapolis, Ind., next Friday against the University of Indianapolis at 6 p.m. (CDT).