Belles Overtaken by Bulldogs

Box Score

  • Meaghan Gibbons led all players with 13 kills on the night while registering 14 digs.
  • Alexis Grady chipped in seven kills and 10 assists with eight digs.
  • Kaylin Szucs led the Belles with 15 digs.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team lost their conference opener against Adrian on Friday night by a 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-21) margin at Angela Athletic Facility.

The visiting Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-0 lead to open the match before going up seven points at 17-10. The Belles could not get within fewer than five points down the stretch as the Bulldogs claimed the 25-16 opening set win. Adrian hit .289 in the first set with 14 kills and just three errors on 38 attacks. Saint Mary's posted their lowest hitting percentage of the match with a .109 after tallying 13 kills with eight errors on 46 attacks.

It had appeared that the tables had turned in the second set for Saint Mary's. The Belles were the side to establish the lead early by breaking a 3-3 tie with a 10-2 run for a 13-5 advantage. The Bulldogs put together some short runs to make it a four-point contest at 17-13, but the Belles were quick to re-establish their lead with a kill by Morgan Klein, a ball handling error by Adrian, and a big block by Coleen Kilgallon and Meaghan Gibbons for a 20-13 Saint Marys advantage. The Bulldogs came right back with a 7-1 run to make it 21-20, but Leah Buck put down a timely kill. Two points later, it was Buck and Rachel Bonek with a big double block to put Saint Mary's ahead 23-22. Adrian was undeterred and rattled off a four-point run to close out the set and take the 25-23 win going into the third stanza.

The Belles established an early lead in the third set as Saint Mary's pulled ahead 13-10 while not trailing through the first 23 points contested in the set. The teams played back-and-forth until two errors and a block favored Adrian to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the set at 19-18. The Belles took advantage of a bad set by Adrian to knot the score at 19-19, but the Bulldogs capitalized on a handful of miscues to go up 23-19. Gibbons hammered down a kill to keep the Belles alive at 24-21, but a kill by Adrian closed out the set and the match with a 25-21 final in the third.

Meaghan Gibbons led all players with 13 kills on the night while registering 14 digs. Alexis Grady chipped in seven kills and 10 assists with eight digs. Rachel Bonek tallied six kills and two blocks. Kaylin Szucs led the Belles with 15 digs. Clare McMillan had a team-high 24 assists.

The Belles (1-5, 0-1 MIAA) have a quick turnaround as the travel to No. 3 ranked Calvin for a 1:00 p.m. conference contest against the Knights.

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