Belles Topped by Tommies, Eagles at Emory

St. Thomas Box Score - Emory Box Score

• Rachel Bonek led the Belles with 11 kills, Leah Buck added nine kills and three blocks, and Kaylin Szucs had a team-high 15 digs against St. Thomas.
• Meaghan Gibbons had six kills while McKenzie Todd and Alexis Grady each chipped in five kills against Emory.
• Bonek was named to the all-tournament team for the Belles.

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team fell in a 3-1 match against St. Thomas before ending on the short side of a 3-0 final against #4 ranked Emory on Saturday to conclude their appearance in the Emory Classic.

The Belles fell in a tightly-played 3-1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-20, 25-17) contest against St. Thomas to open the day. After a tough first set, the Belles stormed out to a big lead in set number two and did not look back. The third set saw the Tommies break things open with a 9-3 run for a 19-12 lead before going up two sets to one. St. Thomas claimed an early lead in the fourth set before closing out the decision by the 3-1 margin.

Rachel Bonek led the Belles with 11 kills in the match. Leah Buck added nine kills and three blocks. Kaylin Szucs had a team-high 15 digs while McKenzie Todd and Clare McMillan each chipped in 14 digs. McMillan added 19 assists, and Alexis Grady posted 20 assists. Meaghan Gibbons tallied ten digs for the Belles.

Saint Mary's was on the short side of a 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-12) final against the fourth-ranked host Emory to wrap up their time in the tournament. The host Eagles turned a 12-9 lead in the opening stanza into a 21-10 lead on their way to claiming the first set. The Belles held their own in the second set as the score sat at 10-10 after a Rachel Bonek kill. Emory, however, edged ahead and never relinquished that lead to go up two sets to none. The Eagles, who were NCAA Regional finalists a season ago, took over the match by opening the third set on a 17-3 spurt before taking the sweep decision.

Meaghan Gibbons had six kills while McKenzie Todd and Alexis Grady each chipped in five kills. Kaylin Szucs led the team with 12 digs, and Clare McMillan had 11 assists.

At the conclusion of the tournament, it was announced that Rachel Bonek had been selected for the all-tournament team. It is the first all-tournament team honor of her collegiate career.

The Belles (0-4) look to get in the win column when travel to Manchester on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. match against the Spartans.