The Saint Mary’s volleyball team fell to the Kalamazoo Hornets 3-1 this past Saturday. With this loss, the team is now 8-13 on the season and 1-6 in the MIAA.
Kalamazoo took control of the first set, starting with a 3-0 run, and controlled large parts of the match to finish 25-19, getting the first win of the night. The Hornets finished the first set with a total of 19 kills and a hitting percentage of .370 and the Belles finished with 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .263. Sophomore middle and outside hitter Grace Braselton led the first set with a total of four kills.
The two teams went back and forth in the second set but the Hornets came out on top with a 25-22 win, securing a 2-0 set advantage. Freshman outside and middle hitter Kalli Lewkowski led the team with four kills in the set, while sophomore Abby Reese provided strong support with an impressive 12 assists.
The Belles staged a comeback in the third set, claiming it 25-22 to bring the match score to 2-1. Capitalizing on the Hornets' nine errors, the Belles gained momentum with ten kills from Lewkowski, four assists from Reese and twelve assists from freshman setter Giuliana Graczyk.
The fourth set was a tightly contested battle, but the Hornets ultimately edged out a three-point win to secure the match.
Lewkowski led the team with an impressive 15 kills, while senior outside hitter Cali Allen and sophomore middle hitter Caroline Carens each contributed eight. Graczyk directed the offense with 22 assists, closely followed by Reese with 20. On defense, junior specialist Karli Fegan anchored the team with 20 digs and Carens made a strong impact at the net with four blocks.
The Belles will now return home to face off against Albion College on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
