Posted: Oct 18, 2023
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team suffered a tough 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 12-25, 25-23, 15-6) setback against Alma on Wednesday evening.
The Belles broke a 3-3 tie with four consecutive points in the opening set. Caroline Carens put down three kills, and Mia Shields added a service ace. The Scots were within three points at 12-9, but a pair of points by Saint Mary's followed by a 6-1 run put the Belles up 18-10 with Shay Theile, Patricia Settlemier, and Grace Braselton all getting kills. The Belles extended their lead to 14-15 before claiming the set 25-18.
The second set featured nine ties and three lead changes. Saint Mary's battled back from deficits a handful of times in the set. Down 13-10, the Belles tied things up at 14-14 with kills by Shay Theile and Delaney Martin. Alma went ahead before Saint Mary's again tied it up at 19-19 on a Cali Allen kill and an attack error by the Scots. Allen tied it up with a kill and put the Belles up with an ace, but the Scots used a kill and an error moments later to go ahead 23-22. Caroline Carens had a timely kill to tie the score at 23-23, but a kill by Alma and an error by the Belles gave the Scots the 25-23 win in the set.
With an early 6-4, the Belles blew the third set wide open with an 11-2 run for a 17-6 lead. Alma had their largest run of the set - a three-point spurt - to make it a 20-10 score. Delaney Martin put down a kill, and Patricia Settlemier added a kill two points later for a 22-11 lead. Martin added an ace, and an attack error capped off the 25-12 win in the set for the Belles.
The back-and-forth match continued in a fourth set that had seven ties and three lead changes. After Alma gained an early lead, the Belles erased the deficit with a 6-1 run to go ahead 8-7. Alma responded by claiming a 14-11 lead, but Saint Mary's stayed close. Trailing 22-17, Cali Allen had a kill before Caroline Carens served an ace. A pair of miscues by Alma along with kills from Allen and Shay Theile saw the Belles turn a 23-20 deficit into a tied score at 23-23. The Scots, however, used a pair of kills to claim the set 25-23 and force a fifth set.
Alma carried their late momentum from the fourth set into the fifth. The Scots took the first three points. Saint Mary's responded with a Mia Shields kill and a Caroline Carens kill, but Alma claimed seven of the next nine points to establish a 10-4 lead. The Belles were unable to string together consecutive points down the stretch, and Alma took the deciding stanza by a 15-6 core.
Caroline Carens put away a match-high and season-best 19 kills and hit a .441 with four block assists and a service ace. Cali Allen had a double-double with 17 kills and 16 digs. Delaney Martin put away nine kills, and Shay Theile added six. Karli Fegan had a team-best and season-high 21 digs, and Mia Shields put up 12 digs on the night. Shani Russell posted 53 assists and eight digs. Patricia Settlemier was in on three blocks while Russell and Theile each collected two.
The Belles (5-11, 1-4 MIAA) have a break from competition this weekend and travel to Olivet on Tuesday, October 24 for a 7:00 p.m. conference match against the Comets.