NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team held their ground in a closely-fought 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-13) final against No. 5 ranked Calvin on Saturday afternoon.

 

The opening set featured 13 ties and six lead changes as neither side ever held a lead larger than a two-point advantage. The Belles erased a 20-18 deficit late in the set with a kill by Colleen McCarthy followed by a service ace from the junior outside hitter. Cali Allen tied the score at 21-21 with a kill two points later, and service errors by both sides tied the score at 22-22. The Knights had back-to-back kills to pull ahead 24-22, but Shay Theile tooled the block to earn a kill and keep the Belles alive at 24-23. Calvin, however, used a kill on the next point to capture the 25-23 win in the first set.

 

Undeterred, the Belles came out swinging in the second set. Grace Braselton and Colleen McCarthy teamed up for a block to open the set. Mia Shields put away a kill, and Remington Vincent served up an ace for a quick 3-0 lead. McCarthy hammered down a kill two points later, and an attack error by the Knights pushed the Belles ahead 5-1 as Calvin called a timeout. The Knights used a 10-2 run to gain an 11-7 advantage as Saint Mary's opted for a timeout. Karla Rigan had a solo block on the next point, and Colleen McCarthy had another kill two points later to pull the Belles within three points. A 6-1 run by Calvin, however, extended the Knights' lead to 18-10. Saint Mary's continued to battle late in the set. Shay Theile was in on two blocks along with Mia Shields and McCarthy, Emma Watford had an ace, and Cali Allen and Mia Shields each had a kill as the Belles pulled within five points at 22-17. The Knights claimed the next three points as Calvin won the set 25-17.

 

Shay Theile continued to be a presence at the net as she and McCarthy put down a block to put Saint Mary's within two points of Calvin at 7-5 in the third set. The Knights shifted the momentum with a 9-0 run for a 16-5 advantage. Facing set and match point late in the set with the score at 24-9, Saint Mary's battled until the last point as Mia Shields put away a kill and served up an ace. After an error by the Knights, Cali Allen put down a kill of her own to make it 24-13. Calvin, however, closed out the set and the match with a kill on the next point for the 25-13 decision.

 

Colleen McCarthy led all players in the match with 11 kills as the junior picked up eight digs for the Belles. Mia Shields and Cali Allen each chipped in six kills. Shay Theile and McCarthy put away three assisted blocks, and Grace Braselton had two block assists in the match. Emma Watford led the Belles with 10 digs and two aces. Remington Vincent collected 13 assists, and Karla Rigan added nine assists and a solo block. 

 

The Belles (3-9, 0-2 MIAA) have a break from conference play as Saint Mary's is set to host Manchester on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.