The Belles look to get back on track in conference play Wednesday as they face off with rival and conference foe Calvin College.
Saint Mary's dropped to 2-5 on the season and1-1 in MIAA play after a 3-1 loss at Olivet Saturday.
The Belles lost two consecutive close sets to begin the match (25-22 each) before rebounding to take the third set, 25-19. Olivet finished the match with a 25-16 set.
Sophomore Stephanie Bodien picked up 12 kills for the Belles. Junior Danie Brink's strong game led Saint Mary's again, as she finished the day with 30 assists, four kills and four assists.
It has been a season of ups and downs for the Belles. Saint Mary's dropped its first three matches of the season, against Bethel College (3-0), the University of Chicago (3-0) and Wheaton (3-2), respectively.
The Belles won two of the next three matches, with victories against Western New England (3-0) and Albion (3-0) and a defeat suffered at the hands of Elmhurst (3-0).
Ninth-ranked Calvin presents additional challenges for Saint Mary's. They dropped all three matches against the Knights last season. During the regular season, the Belles lost 3-0 at Calvin and 3-0 at home against the Knights. The two teams faced off for a third time in the MIAA Tournament, which Calvin won 3-1.
This weekend, the Belles will head to the Manchester Tournament, where they will face Anderson, Purdue North Central, Principia and Grace. They will only face conference opponents for the rest of the season, starting next week.
A win over a very talented Knights squad could be just what the Belles are looking for to turn their season around.
