Belles Fall in Straight Sets Against Thunder
Saint Mary's Stories
ANGOLA, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team had their four-match conference winning streak snapped on the road at Trine on Friday night by 25-17, 25-22, 25-16 scores.
Trine established a 7-3 advantage early in the first set before the Belles pulled within 7-6 on three consecutive points. Saint Mary's was able to get as close as a point away from tying the Thunder at 8-7 and 14-13, but the Thunder went on a seven-point run at that 14-13 mark to push their lead to 21-13 before claiming the first set.
The Thunder then opened the second set by staking claim to a 15-9 lead to force a Saint Mary's timeout. Trine took two of the next three points, extending their lead to 17-10 before the Belles made a big push to get back into the set. Saint Mary's had the upper hand on six of the next seven points to cut the lead to two points at 18-16. The Thunder regained a five-point lead only to see the Belles pull within 22-21. The teams traded points before a pair of hitting errors by Saint Mary's gave the Thunder the second set with a 25-22 score.
The third set saw the Thunder push a 10-7 lead into a 15-8 advantage. Trine maintained at least a four-point cushion against the Belles throughout the remainder of the set on their way to the sweep.
The Belles held Trine to a .170 attack percentage (35 kills, 17 errors, 106 attempts), but Saint Mary's was unable to capitalize on the Thunder's misfortune as the Belles hit .025 (30 kills, 27 errors, 118 attempts).
Kati Schneider led all players with 15 kills. Katie Hecklinski and Meredith Mersits each had 11 digs while Hecklinski also chipped in eight kills. Lexi Grady posted 17 assists for the Belles.
Saint Mary's (9-12, 7-6 MIAA) has a quick turnaround in conference play as they host second-ranked Hope on Saturday for a noon MIAA match.