NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Volleyball fell to 13th ranked Calvin University, 3-0, on Tuesday night. The Belles fall to 12-9 (1-2 MIAA) while the Knights improve to 15-2 (2-0 MIAA).
Calvin got out to a short lead early in the first set before using a strong 10-2 run to separate themselves from Saint Mary's. The Belles would pull off two runs of three points before the teams traded points back and forth before the Knights closed out the set win, 25-19. Sophomore
Lexi Szymanski (Walker, MI) led the way with four kills in the set while junior
Giuliana Graczyk (Chicago, IL) added five assists.
The second set would prove to be the strongest of the night for the Belles. While they traded points early, Saint Mary's took their first lead of the set thanks to a 5-1 run. Calvin bounced right back with a 6-1 run of their own to retake the lead midway through the set. While the Belles found their groove, the Knights continued to hold advantage. The Belles then ripped off six straight points with five kills to take a late lead, 23-18. Calvin fired right back to force the set into extra points, past the 25 point threshold. The Knights used a 10-3 run to close out the set, taking it 28-26, and taking a 2-0 lead in the match. Freshman
Bridget O'Connell (Tinley Park, IL) added four kills in the set while both Szymanski and sophomore
Shannon Rudge (Granger, IN) added three each. Senior
Abby Reese (Elkhart, IN) added eight assists in the set to jump to 11 on the match while Graczyk jumped to 10.
The Knights carried their momentum into the third set and took an early 6-1 lead. After a Belles timeout, they would go on a 7-2 run to knot the match at eight. The teams traded points and short runs before finding themselves tied at 14. Calvin would get out to a short lead and held on strong through a Saint Mary's comeback attempt. The Knights closed out the set and took a 25-21 win and closed out the match, 3-0.
Rudge led the team with eight kills on the night while Szymanski and O'Connell added seven each. O'Connell would hit an impressive .400 on the night to lead the team. Graczyk would lead with 16 kills while Reese added 15 of her own.
Defensively, sophomore
Molly Boyle (Palos Heights, IL) led the team with 12 digs while Reese and Rudge added eight each. O'Connell led the team with three block assists while sophomore
Maddie Taitano (Tacoma, WA) added two. Rudge and O'Connell also added a solo block each.
UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES
Saint Mary's hits the road this weekend as they head to Hope College on Friday for a 5pm matchup. The Belles return home on October 23 as they host the University of Olivet for a 7pm matchup.
