WHEATON, Ill. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team (5-5) earned a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) win over Benedictine before shouldering a 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-15) setback against host Wheaton on Friday night.
Against Benedictine, the Belles rallied from a 12-6 deficit in the first set to draw even with the Eagles at 15-15. Saint Mary's edged ahead and did not trail the remainder of the first set. The second stanza saw the Eagles pull ahead 18-17 before the Belles used a four-point spurt to gain the lead for good. An 8-1 run early in the third set gave Saint Mary's a lead they did not relinquish on the way to the sweep.
Against the host Thunder, the Belles played toe-to-toe against Wheaton for much of the first set. The Thunder, however, broke a 12-12 tie with an 8-2 run to gain the momentum in the set before taking the win. In the second frame, Saint Mary's battled back from a seven-point deficit at 12-5 and pulled within a point at 16-5. Wheaton put the next three points on the scoreboard, and the Belles were unable to pull within fewer than three points down the stretch. An 8-2 run early in the third set put Saint Mary's up 8-5, but a big run midway through the set gave the Thunder the lead for good as Wheaton took the three-set decision.
Lukens had nine kills and seven digs against a Wheaton side which has an 8-1 record on the year. Collantes posted eight kills and 11 digs. Tarkanyi repeated match-high honors with 17 digs, and VanderWey collected 14 assists.
The Belles (5-5) are back in action when they travel to DePauw next Saturday to face off against Muskingum and Hanover.
