SANDUSKY, Ohio - The Saint Mary's volleyball team bounced back from a 3-1 (29-27, 30-28, 25-19, 25-12) setback against Shenandoah to earn a commanding 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-7) win over Pitt-Greensburg on day one of the Great Lakes Cross Over.

 

The opening set featured 17 ties and 10 lead changes while the second stanza saw 16 ties and 11 lead changes against the Hornets. Both teams had set points late in the first frame before Shenandoah capitalized on a pair of miscues and put away the opener with a kill for the 29-27 decision. Saint Mary's trailed 28-27 in the second set, but kills by Grace Braselton, Mia Shields, and Delaney Martin capped off the comeback for the 30-28 win to pull even at one set apiece. The third set was tied 15-15 before a 5-0 run by Shenandoah gave the Hornets a lead they did not relinquish in a 25-19 set final. Six-consecutive points by Shenandoah in the fourth stanza distanced the Hornets on their way to a 25-12 decision in the set to take the match 3-1.

 

Cali Allen registered a double-double with 11 kills and 19 digs with three aces and a block. Delaney Martin matched Allen with 11 kills while chipping in eight digs and an ace. Mia Shields posted nine kills and three aces to go along with three digs. Caroline Carens put down six kills, and Grace Braselton and Abby Reese had four kills each. Reese put up 39 assists with six digs, and Bethany DiSilvestro collected 15 digs in the match.

 

Up a point late in the opening set against Pitt-Greensburg, the Belles rattled off five consecutive points to gain a 24-18 lead before putting the set away with a Cali Allen kill. The second set saw Saint Mary's storm out to a 7-1 lead against the Panthers and never look back in a 25-11 final, and the Belles carried that momentum into the third stanza with a big 19-3 lead en route to the sweep as Saint Mary's earned the win without needing to complete one full rotation.

 

Cali Allen posted a .455 attack effort with 11 kills on 22 attempts in the victory to go along with three aces. Caroline Carens hit .615 with nine kills, and Delaney Martin posted nine kills of her own. Mia Shields tallied a .417 with six kills on 12 swings and chipped in eight digs and three aces. As a team, the Belles hit .390 against the Panthers while limiting Pitt-Greensburg to a .000 hitting effort. Shani Russell put up 17 assists and five digs, and Abby Reese added 13 assists and two digs. Bethany DiSilvestro put up a team-best and match-high nine digs.

 

The Belles (1-1) are back in action on Saturday when they face Capital at 10:00 a.m. and Bluffton at 2:00 p.m. on day two of the Great Lakes Cross Over.