NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-19) against Manchester on Tuesday evening.

 

Trailing by six in the opening set, the Belles chipped away at the deficit and pulled within two points at 14-12. A solo block by Caroline Carens and an attack error by the Spartans put Saint Mary's within striking distance, but back-to-back Manchester points pushed the lead back to four. The Belles were unable to string multiple points together down the stretch in the first set and ultimately fell by a 25-18 margin.

 

The second set featured seven ties and four lead changes in a stanza that came down to the last push. Saint Mary's rattled off four consecutive points early for a 6-3 lead, capped off by a Caroline Carens and Delaney Martin double block. A three-point spurt by the Spartans was ended with an emphatic kill by Caroline Carens to put Saint Mary's up 10-9. Manchester used four consecutive points a short while later to gain a 13-11 lead, and the Spartans extended their lead to four at 17-13. Shay Theile put away a kill to start a Saint Mary's run. The Belles capitalized on consecutive Manchester errors, and Theile had a service ace to tie the score at 17-17. The teams traded points with Martin collecting a kill for an 18-18 score. Manchester gained the advantage on a service error and used a block, an attack error, and an ace to go ahead 22-18. Caroline Carens had a timely kill, but the Spartans pulled ahead 24-19. Undeterred, Saint Mary's came roaring back in the set with a Cali Allen kill, a Manchester error, a double block by Shay Theile and Shani Russell, and another kill by Allen to make it 24-23. The Spartans, however, put a stop to the comeback with a kill for the 25-23 win.

 

Down 14-10 in the third set, Saint Mary's used a couple of quick scoring spurts to knot the score at 15-15. Allen added a kill, Kennedy Oselka had a service ace, and Shani Russell put away a kill to get the Belles back in business. The Spartans regained the lead before an Allen and Theile double block got Saint Mary's within a point at 18-17. The Belles were unable to get a late run in the set and could not edge within fewer than two points down the stretch in what became a 25-19 final.

 

Cali Allen led the Belles with eight kills while Mia Shields added seven. Shay Theile and Caroline Carens each put away five kills. Bethany DiSilvestro had a team-high nine digs, Shani Russell chipped in eight digs, and Kennedy Oselka picked up seven digs. Russell tallied 25 assist and a service ace while Theile and Oselka each collected an ace. Carens had a block assist and a solo block, and Theile posted two block assists.

 

The Belles (3-5) travel to Beloit on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. CDT (8:00 p.m. EDT) match.