LAMONI, Iowa - The Ashford University volleyball team split a pair of tightly-contested matches to open play at the Pizza Shack Tournament hosted by Graceland University on Friday, beating Mayville State University (N.D.), 3-1, and falling to No. 15 Indiana Institute of Technology, 1-3.

The Saints (10-2, 1-0 MCC), aiming for their third straight undefeated tourney appearance, beat the Comets of MSU in the opener by scores of 25-17, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-19.

But an AU six-match win streak would come to a halt against Indiana Tech in a four-set defeat, 25-21, 16-25, 14-25 and 23-25.

Friday's results have set up tentative Saturday showdowns against the University of St. Francis (Ill.) at 10 a.m. and Texas Wesleyan University at 1 p.m.

"We continued to play well in our third tournament this fall," AU Head Coach Micah Cewe said. "The competition here is tough with several ranked schools and we wanted to put ourselves up against some of the nation's best. We're excited for two more matches tomorrow and the prospect of two more potential wins."

The Saints came out swinging against Mayville State, cruising to a first-set win. A second-set hiccup with 11 kills and 10 attacking errors didn't stop the Saints from rebounding to claim the third and fourth sets in convincing fashion.

Senior middle blocker Kelsay McCausland of Camanche finished with a team-high 14 kills. She added three service aces and a pair of solo blocks along the front line.

Freshman setter JoAnna Hoffman of Prospect Heights, Ill., tallied a season-high 25 assists, eclipsing her previous best by five (20 vs. Evangel University).

Ashford carried the momentum over against the vaunted Warriors, who began the season ranked 11th in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll. The Saints grabbed the first set over ITT, but second-set offensive woes with six kills and six attack miscues were too much to overcome.

McCausland and junior Yawen Xiao of Shanghai, China, each had 12 kills in the effort. Xiao added 17 digs to lead a trio of Saints' with double-digit totals, including senior Samantha Moller (13) of Silvis, Ill., and Tara VanZuiden (24) of Albany, Ill.

Sophomore setter Liz Gbur of Darien, Ill., totaled 27 assists and Hoffman chipped in 14 helpers.