WOOSTER, Ohio - The Saint Mary's volleyball team was on the wrong side of a 3-1 (22-25, 25-10, 25-15, 25-15) final against Oberlin in their opener and fell in a 3-2 (25-7, 21-25, 17-25, 25-21, 16-14) nailbiter against Wooster on day one of the NCAC/MIAA Crossover.

 

The Belles took the opening set against Oberlin to begin the day. Saint Mary's turned a 5-3 lead into a 16-8 advantage. The Yeowomen pulled within four points on five occasions before three consecutive points put Saint Mary's up 24-17. Oberlin made it interesting with a late run to make it a 24-22 score, but Delaney Martin put the set away with a kill. A 7-0 run by Oberlin gave the Yeowomen a lead they never relinquished in a 25-10 final in the second set. The two sides were back-and-forth in the third set as both teams tried to gain the upperhand. A four-point spurt by Oberlin made it 20-13, and three more points moments later gave the Yeowomen a 23-14 lead before they closed out the set 25-15. The Belles were unable to string more than two points together at a time in the fourth set as Oberlin captured the 25-15 win and the 3-1 decision in the match.

 

Caroline Carens led the Belles with nine kills and posted a .333 attack percentage. Delaney Martin posted seven kills and eight digs with two aces. Cali Allen put up a team-best 11 digs and collected four kills. Mia Shields and Bethany DiSilvestro each had six digs. Shani Russell tallied 13 assists, and Abby Reese chipped in 11 assists. 

 

The host Scots opened the match by taking five of the first six points, and a big 10-0 run gave Wooster the opening set by a 25-7 score. The Belles broke a 5-5 tie in the second set with three consecutive points. Saint Mary's continued to hold off comeback efforts by Wooster, and a 16-15 lead turned into a 21-17 advantage a short while later. Wooster pulled within three points at 23-20, but Grace Braselton had a key kill for a 24-20 lead. Caroline Carens closed out the win in the set with a kill for the 25-21 decision. After trailing 9-7 in the third stanza, the Belles rattled off five straight points for a 12-9 lead. Wooster responded with a run to take a 14-13 lead. With the score tied 15-15, the Belles gained the momentum with a 9-1 run and took the set 25-17. The fourth set was tight from start to finish. The Belles came back from a 15-10 deficit to pull within two points at 17-15, 18-16, and 19-17. Wooster claimed three consecutive points to go ahead 22-17, but the Belles fought right back with back-to-back kills by Cali Allen and a pair of errors by the Scots to make it 22-21. Wooster, however, captured the next three points to force a decisive fifth set. Neither team ever held more than a two-point lead in the fifth. A block by Caroline Carens and Abby Reese put Saint Mary's up 8-6 as the teams switched ends of the court. A Grace Braselton kill saw the Belles go up 13-12, but back-to-back Wooster kills gave the Scots a 14-13 lead. Delaney Martin kept the match alive for Saint Mary's with a kill to knot the score at 14-14, but the Scots claimed the next two points for the 16-14 win.

 

Cali Allen led all players in the match with 17 kills and added 11 digs for the double-double. Delaney Martin put away 11 kills and had seven digs and two aces. Caroline Carens chipped in nine kills and six block assists. Abby Reese put down six kills and posted 14 digs and four assists. Grace Braselton added six kills of her own. Shani Russell recorded 40 assists with four kills, three block assists, and an ace. Bethany DiSilvestro picked up a match-high 24 digs in the match.

 

The Belles (2-4) are back on the court on Saturday when they take on Kenyon at Wooster starting at noon.