After four sets on Wednesday, the Saint Mary’s volleyball team took the 3-1 win over the Kalamazoo Hornets. With this win, the Belles improved to 7-2 on the season.
In the first set, the Belles finished with an amazing, 25-9 victory over the Hornets. The Belles took advantage of seven errors made by the Hornets while committing no errors themselves. Overall, the Belles rounded out the set with a .500 hitting percentage.
The second set was very close, with the two teams going back and forth for the lead. The two were tied 24-24 near the end of the set, forcing the Belles to push more. After putting pressure on the Hornets and causing them to make 11 errors, the Belles gained a 26-24 win over the Hornets, bringing the score to 2-0 in favor of the Belles.
Kalamazoo came back during the third set, taking the 25-14 win over the Belles, holding them at a -.029 hitting percentage.
Despite this pushback from the Hornets, the Belles finished out the night with a 25-17 win over the Hornets after the two teams battled it out in the fourth set.
Sophomore middle hitter Caroline Carens led on the court with a total of 15 kills, and freshman outside and middle hitter Kalli Lewkowski finished out with 10 kills. Both Carens and Lewkowski finished with a hitting percentage at or above .400. Additionally, sophomore setter Abby Reese rounded out the match with a high of 21 assists, and freshman setter Giuliana Graczyk finished with 19 assists. Senior outside hitter Cali Allen led with 19 digs.
This week, Carens was named the MIAA Athlete of the Week for her help in the Belles taking the win over Manchester for the first time since 2018. Carens was also named to the All-Tournament Team for the Manchester Invite. Over the last four matches, Carens has totaled 51 kills on the court, 13 blocks and a .433 hitting percentage.
The Belles now prepare to travel and take on North Central College in Naperville, Illinois this Friday at 8 p.m.
