MANCHESTER, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Volleyball defeated Manchester University, 3-2, and Alma College, 3-0, on Saturday to finish the Manchester Invite with a 2-1 record. The Belles improved to 6-2 on the year while the Spartans fell to 5-5 and the Scots dropped to 2-8.
Saint Mary's vs Manchester
The Belles came out and took an early victory in the first set, 25-20, thanks to some costly errors by the Spartans and an early 8-1 run that put Saint Mary's up after trailing 5-0 early in the set. Manchester tallied 10 errors in the first set alone. Saint Mary's dominated in hitting percentage for most of the day, recording a .192 in the first set. The Belles shared the love as multiple players recorded double-digit kills as sophomore Caroline Carens led the team with three to open the match.
The Spartans bounced back in the second set and started a trend that would see both teams trade sets all day long as they were victorious, 25-20. As both teams played evenly but Manchester was able to take advantage of some crucial runs towards the end of the set. Carens bumped her kill total to five while sophomore Abby Reese brought her assist total to nine.
Saint Mary's would dominate in the third set, taking a big win over Manchester, 25-14. The Belles would use some very long runs throughout the set, including a 12-2 run that saw their lead increase to a set high 15 points at one time. Three Belles had tallied a team high seven kills after the set and Reese had brought her assist total to 16.
Manchester would bounce right back in the fourth set and turn the tables on Saint Mary's with a 25-14 victory of their own. Carens reached double-digit kills in the set but the Spartans dominated the Belles in hitting percentage by a total of .471-.167.
While both teams played well in the fifth set, Saint Mary's was able to come out victorious with a 17-15 victory, securing their first win over Manchester since 2018. The Belles out-killed the Spartans 13-9 and forced four errors to lead to their eventual victory.
Junior Grace Braselton would lead the Belles with 12 kills while Carens and junior Delaney Martin would each record 11. Reese would bring her assist total to 23 on the match while freshman Giuliana Graczyk would add 18. Three Belles would record double-digit digs including junior Karli Fegan who led with 14, Reese and senior Cali Allen both added 11.
Saint Mary's vs Alma
It was a back and forth battle between the two MIAA foes as Saint Mary's was able to come out victorious, 25-23, in the first set. Both teams used significant runs early in the set to bring the score closer, but the Belles pulled away at the end of the set to set the tone for the rest of the match.
The Belles would use constant pressure in the second set to take a quick 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-18 win in the set. It was the use of constant short runs of multiple points in a row that helped the Belles stretch their lead to the final score and give them the advantage going into the third set.
The hot streak wouldn't stop for Saint Mary's as they would use a 25-15 win in the third set to secure the match victory. A quick 8-2 run to open the set saw the Belles keep momentum on their side. While the Scots tried to swing things back their way, it was a 6-1 run that finished off the match and saw the Belles walk away victorious.
Carens once again led the match with 13 kills while freshman Kalli Lewkowski was the only other player to hit double-digits with 10. Reese and Graczyk were both dominate in the assists category again, Reese with 21 and Graczyk with 19, the two highest totals in the match. Fegan would lead the match in digs with 25 while Martin was the only other Belle to hit double-digits with 12.
UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES:
Saint Mary's returns home for a single match on Wednesday as they play host to Kalamazoo College for a non-conference matchup set for 7pm at the Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex.
