Belles Halted by Top-Ranked Knights
Saint Mary's Stories
- Rachel Bonek led the team with 11 kills while Leah Buck posted seven kills as the pair of seniors both hit above .295 in the match.
- Morgan VanderWey tallied 18 assists, and Audrey Shannon picked up 17 digs to lead all players.
- Alyssa Chong had five block assists in the match as six different Belles registered at least a block in the match.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team fell 3-0, (25-18, 25-19, 25-14) to No. 1 ranked and defending national champion Calvin on Saturday.
The Belles were neck-and-neck with the Knights throughout much of the opening set. The sides were tied 9-9 until the host Knights put together a quick spurt for a 13-9 advantage. A short while later, a service error by Calvin made it a 14-13 score in favor of the Knights as the Belles kept tight. Another spurt by Calvin, however, put the Knights up for good as the hosts took a 25-18 opening set win.
Saint Mary's fell behind early in the second set but battled back to make it an 18-16 score on a kill by Morgan VanderWey. Back-to-back Calvin kills made it a 20-16 score. The Knights put down consecutive kills a short while later and used a double block to gain a 24-18 lead before taking the set 25-19.
Leah Buck had a kill early in the third set to pull the Belles within 8-7 of the Knights. But top-ranked Calvin used a 7-2 run to gain a 14-9 edge. The Knights continued to lead by at least six points over the remainder of the set while taking the match with a 25-14 third stanza.
Rachel Bonek led the team with 11 kills while Leah Buck posted seven kills as the pair of seniors both hit above .295 in the match. Morgan VanderWey tallied 18 assists, and Audrey Shannon picked up 17 digs to lead all players. Alyssa Chong had five block assists in the match as six different Belles registered at least a block in the match.
The Belles (2-3, 2-1 MIAA) host No. 21 Hope on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.