ADRIAN, Mich. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team was on the wrong side of a 3-1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-16) conference match at Adrian on Wednesday evening.

 

With the first set tied at 5-5, Adrian took four consecutive points to gain a 9-5 edge. Colleen McCarthy put away a kill to stop the run, and an Adrian service error two points later made it a 10-7 score with the hosts clinging onto the lead. A four-point spurt a short while later pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 15-8. Another service error by Adrian followed by a block by Patricia Settlemier cut the deficit to five at 15-10. The Belles were able to edge within four points at 21-17 with a Mia Shields kill, but Adrian took the set with four consecutive points for the 25-17 decision.

 

Trailing 13-9 in the second set, Saint Mary's stormed right back into the thick of things with four consecutive points. A service error started the run, Cali Allen put down a kill, an attack error gave the Belles a point, and Sam Vorderer tied the score at 13-13 with a kill. The Bulldogs got a point back, but the Belles built off of that four-point spurt by rattling off a huge 8-0 run to take over the momentum. Cali Allen chipped in three more kills during that run while Grace Braselton added a kill of her own as the Belles went up 21-14. Vorderer added another kill, and Allen put down two more kills late as the Belles took the set by a 25-17 score to tie the match. 

 

Saint Mary's erased a five-point deficit early in the third with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 9-9 with a trio of kills by Colleen McCarthy and a service ace by Allen. With the score tied 11-11 moments later, the Bulldogs captured four of the next five points for a 15-12 advantage. The Belles cut the deficit to two points on two occasions before a four-point spurt by Adrian saw the Bulldogs go up 22-16. McCarthy put away three consecutive kills to re-energize the Saint Mary's side and make it 22-19. The Bulldogs took the next two points and closed out the set two points later for a 25-20 win.

 

Down 7-5 in the fourth stanza, Colleen McCarthy was nearly unstoppable midway through the set with five consecutive kills to push the Belles ahead 10-7. Another McCarthy kill two points later gave Saint Mary's an 11-8 lead. Adrian countered with a 10-1 run, however, to gain an 18-12 lead as the Belles called a timeout. Saint Mary's cut the deficit to five but the visiting side was unable to get any closer as Adrian took the set by a 25-16 score for the match victory. 

 

Colleen McCarthy posted her second-consecutive 20+ kill effort with a match-high 21 kills as the junior added a match-high 22 digs and two blocks in the contest. Cali Allen had a double-double of her own with 14 kills and 15 digs to go along with an ace. Grace Braselton put away six kills on just 10 attempts for a .600 attack percentage while collecting two blocks. Courtney Pelletier put up 16 digs on the night, and Sam Vorderer added eight digs. Karla Rigan tallied a career-best 43 assists and a service ace.

 

The Belles (5-18, 1-6 MIAA) will conclude their season on Saturday when they host Albion at 2:00 p.m. The three members of the senior class will be recognized after the conclusion of the match for Senior Day.