The Belles got their first taste of victory Friday night in the second game of the Saint Mary's Triangular. Saint Mary's fell to Calvin College in the first game of the evening, losing in three games by scores of 30-19, 30-25 and 30-23. But the Belles were able to defeat Tri-State later on in a three-game sweep. Playing two games in one day didn't seem to affect the team's performance. "Playing two games on Friday night isn't much different," middle hitter Elise Rupright said. "There is enough time to regroup and make adjustments in between the games."Currently, the Belles are 1-5 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA. The win pulled Saint Mary's out of last place in the conference and could give them some momentum going into their next game on Tuesday against Bethel College.Calvin College remains on top of the league, staying undefeated with an MIAA record of 3-0 and an overall record of 7-1. Kalamazoo is also 3-0 in the conference and challenging the Knights for the top spot.The loss drops Tri-State to 0-4 in the MIAA and 0-8 overall. Middle hitter Shelly Bender and outside attacker Michelle Turley played well offensively in the first game against Calvin. Teammates Anne Cusack and Amanda David offered help defensively on the night, as well.During the second game, the defense was led by Cusack, freshman Elizabeth Stohl and Turley. On offense, Rupright and Bender helped the Belles play a solid game and put points on the scoreboard. The Belles came out strong in the second match. They won the first game against Tri-State by a score of 30-21 and were able to capitalize on the win by claiming the next two games.Saint Mary's performed strong in the second contest against Calvin but could not close the match with a victory. Once again, dropping the first game made it very difficult for the Belles to make a comeback.The Belles lost the first game of each of their previous five matches going into the Tri-State match. Three of the losing matches ended in just three games, with the Albion and Kalamazoo contests going to four games before Saint Mary's was defeated.Calvin defeated Tri-State in three games in the other match.
