NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team suffered a tough 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 12-25, 25-23, 15-6) setback against Alma on Wednesday evening.
The Belles broke a 3-3 tie with four consecutive points in the opening set.
Caroline Carens put down three kills, and
Mia Shields added a service ace. The Scots were within three points at 12-9, but a pair of points by Saint Mary's followed by a 6-1 run put the Belles up 18-10 with
Shay Theile,
Patricia Settlemier, and
Grace Braselton all getting kills. The Belles extended their lead to 14-15 before claiming the set 25-18.
The second set featured nine ties and three lead changes. Saint Mary's battled back from deficits a handful of times in the set. Down 13-10, the Belles tied things up at 14-14 with kills by
Shay Theile and
Delaney Martin. Alma went ahead before Saint Mary's again tied it up at 19-19 on a
Cali Allen kill and an attack error by the Scots. Allen tied it up with a kill and put the Belles up with an ace, but the Scots used a kill and an error moments later to go ahead 23-22.
Caroline Carens had a timely kill to tie the score at 23-23, but a kill by Alma and an error by the Belles gave the Scots the 25-23 win in the set.
With an early 6-4, the Belles blew the third set wide open with an 11-2 run for a 17-6 lead. Alma had their largest run of the set - a three-point spurt - to make it a 20-10 score.
Delaney Martin put down a kill, and
Patricia Settlemier added a kill two points later for a 22-11 lead. Martin added an ace, and an attack error capped off the 25-12 win in the set for the Belles.
The back-and-forth match continued in a fourth set that had seven ties and three lead changes. After Alma gained an early lead, the Belles erased the deficit with a 6-1 run to go ahead 8-7. Alma responded by claiming a 14-11 lead, but Saint Mary's stayed close. Trailing 22-17,
Cali Allen had a kill before
Caroline Carens served an ace. A pair of miscues by Alma along with kills from Allen and
Shay Theile saw the Belles turn a 23-20 deficit into a tied score at 23-23. The Scots, however, used a pair of kills to claim the set 25-23 and force a fifth set.
Alma carried their late momentum from the fourth set into the fifth. The Scots took the first three points. Saint Mary's responded with a
Mia Shields kill and a
Caroline Carens kill, but Alma claimed seven of the next nine points to establish a 10-4 lead. The Belles were unable to string together consecutive points down the stretch, and Alma took the deciding stanza by a 15-6 core.
The Belles (5-11, 1-4 MIAA) have a break from competition this weekend and travel to Olivet on Tuesday, October 24 for a 7:00 p.m. conference match against the Comets.