RIVER FOREST, Ill. - Saint Mary's College Volleyball kept their undefeated season alive with a 3-0 win over Dominican University on Friday night. The Belles improve to 9-0 to start the season while the Stars fall to 1-6.

Saint Mary's would get the match started with a big 25-20 win in the first set. While both teams kept it close early on, the Belles would get out to a seven point lead. But Dominican would claw back and turn it into a two point match and kept it close as the set headed towards its conclusion. Saint Mary's would then go on a 5-1 run to close out the set and take their first point.

Both teams would finish close in total kills, 14-12 in favor of Saint Mary's, the Belles would dominate the Stars in hitting percentage as they would outhit them .520-.226.

While the Belles have struggled in second sets this season, they turned it around big against the Stars with a statement 25-13 victory to go up 2-0 in the match. Saint Mary's would use a 7-1 run early in the set to step ahead of Dominican and would use another 8-1 run later in the set to take the Stars out of it. The Belles would outkill the Stars 10-2 in the set and outhit them .381- -.222.

While both teams would trade points constantly in the third set, after Dominican would take a one point lead, Saint Mary's would go on a 6-0 run headed by the serving of sophomore Giuliana Graczyk (Chicago, IL). The teams would go back to trading points after that and the Belles would never look back, winning the set 25-20, and the match, 3-0.

Junior Caroline Carens (Naperville, IL) and sophomore Kalli Lewkowski (Spring Lake, MI) would lead the team with nine kills each while freshman Shannon Rudge (Granger, IN) would add seven and senior Delaney Martin (North Judson, IN) would add six. Five different Belles would hit above a .250 on the match while Rudge would hit .357, Carens would hit .400, and Lewkowski would hit an outstanding .818 on the match. This beat her career best by over 300 points.

Graczyk would lead the team with 18 assists while junior Abby Reese (Elkhart, IN) would add 15. Graczyk and Rudge would each tally 10 digs each to lead the Belles. Carens would also add an outstanding seven block assists on the evening.

UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES

Saint Mary's will take an hour and half trip north to Beloit, WI tomorrow for back-to-back matches against Grinnell College at 2pm EST, and the host Beloit College at 4pm EST. The Belles then return home on Wednesday, September 24, for a single match as they host the University of Olivet for a non-conference matchup at 7pm.