This past weekend, the Saint Mary's volleyball team went 3-1 in their opening weekend. The Belles won both matches on Friday with a 3-2 win over Penn State-Altoona and a blowout over Penn State-Behrend.
Rolling into Saturday, the Belles split with one win and one loss. The Belles took the first 3-0 win of the day against Kenyon but suffered a 3-0 loss against Anderson in their last game of the weekend.
Match one
In their first match, the Belles won 3-2 over the Penn State-Altoona Lions.
The Belles jumped ahead at the start, going up 6-0 with the help of two kills from senior outside hitter Cali Allen and two service aces from sophomore setter Abby Reese. Although the Lions managed to make a comeback, the Belles did not let their guard down, winning the first set 25-22.
During the second set, the Belles took the early lead but fell behind during the middle of the set with the Lions pulling ahead and taking the victory with the 26th point.
Saint Mary’s managed to bounce back in the third set, taking a 25-21 win over the Lions. Sophomore middle hitter Caroline Carens shined on the court, posting six kills in the set.
During the fourth set, the Lions were again able to keep composed and took a 25-14 win over the Belles, sending the match into a fifth set.
In the fifth set, both teams gained points early on, but the Belles pulled through near the end of the set, gaining five straight points against the Lions to gain the 15-8 win. Carens, freshman Kalli Lewkowski and Allen all put up kills to help the Belles take the win.
Match two
In match two, the Belles faced off against Penn Sate-Behrend and swept the floor with a 3-0 win.
After a quick start, PSU-Behrend fought to the very end in the first set, keeping the Belles at only a one-point lead. The Belles fought back with a six-point run to take the 25-22 win. Lewkowski led the Belles with five kills, and Reese led with 12 assists.
Both teams came back to fight at the beginning of the second set, but the Belles took a quick, seven-point lead early on in the set. After a battle during the rest of the match, the Belles finished the set with a 25-19 win with the help of three kills from Lewkowski and junior middle and outside hitter Grace Braselton.
The Belles finished the day with a 25-17 win over the Lions. Braselton finished the set with a high of 10 kills, while Lewkowski and Allen both added nine kills. Allen also added a match-high five service aces. Reese added 33 assists and 14 digs for her match highs.
Match three
Going into Saturday, the Belles took the first 3-0 win over the Kenyon Owls.
In the first set, both teams were battling for the lead until the Belles were able to pull an eight-point lead before the Owls battled back. Despite this, the Belles were able to stay calm and finish the set ahead 25-20. Allen and Carens both contributed four kills. Junior outside and middle hitter Delaney Martin and freshman Brooke Bolthouse added two service aces each.
Heading into the second set, the Belles took a quick 9-0 lead at the beginning of the set. As the Owls battled back, the Belles stayed ahead and finished with a 25-18 win. Allen and Lewkowski both added four kills each, and junior libero Karli Fegan added eight digs to finish out the set.
Things looked a bit different in the third set. Kenyon took the early lead in the third set, but closer to the end of the set, the Belles went on a 15-4 run to take the final 25-15 win over the Owls. Lewkowski added five kills in the set. Martin and Allen led in the match with four service aces.
Match four
In the final match of the weekend, the Belles took a tough, 3-0 loss against Anderson.
In the first set, the Anderson Ravens took the quick lead with a 14-3 run. The Belles fought back but were not able to pull through with a 25-14 loss in the first set.
In the second set, the Ravens kept the momentum going, winning the second set over the Belles 25-19.
In the third set, both teams battled. Anderson pulled ahead early on, and the Belles ultimately took the 25-21 loss against Anderson.
Up next, the Belles face off against Benedictine on Sept. 10 starting at 7:30 p.m.
