KENOSHA, WIS. — The Parkside Rangers battled tough but ultimately fell in straight sets to GLIAC rival Ferris State on Friday evening at De Simone Arena. The Bulldogs (9-4, 4-1 GLIAC) took the match 26-24, 25-21, 25-20 over the Rangers (9-3, 2-3 GLIAC).

Parkside opened the night strong, jumping out to a 7-1 lead behind a serving run from Lucy Russ and later extending the advantage to 12-2. The Rangers battled through a back-and-forth first set that featured five ties and three lead changes, but Ferris State edged out a 26-24 win.

In the second set, the Bulldogs' defense took control, recording five team blocks to slow down the Ranger offense. Parkside struggled to find a rhythm, hitting just .040 in the frame, though libero Natalie Harris dug 11 balls in the set alone to keep her team within striking distance.

Ferris State closed out the match in the third with a balanced offensive attack, hitting .268 and posting a 66% sideout rate to keep Parkside from stringing together runs. The Rangers saw Sam Fisch swing efficiently at a .333 clip in the set, but the Bulldogs sealed the 25-20 win to finish the sweep.

Offensively, Parkside was led by Ava Irvin, who finished with 10 kills, while Mariena Coon added seven kills on a .263 clip and totaled five blocks. Sam Fisch tallied six kills and two blocks, and Sierra Kilbourn chipped in four kills and one block. Abby Alms was efficient in limited swings, hitting .429 with four kills. Setter Lucy Russ paced the offense with 22 assists and 11 digs, recording her ninth double-double of the season. Lily Ray added 8 assists and 9 digs, while Rachel Mueller contributed seven digs and one service ace. Libero Natalie Harris anchored the back row with a match-high 22 digs and added two service aces.

The Rangers are back in action tomorrow at De Simone Arena when they take on Davenport at 2:00 p.m. CT

For all things Parkside Volleyball and links to live coverage, please visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.