Hilltoppers fail to tame Lady Lions in four-set loss
AUSTIN, Texas- The St. Edward's volleyball team did their best Jekyll-and-Hyde routine while losing to Arkansas-Fort Smith in four sets, 16-25, 31-29, 9-25 and 22-25.
In the first set, Arkansas-Fort Smith (28-3) came out with zest, taking a 20-9 lead. St. Edward's (20-7) then proceeded to go on a 7-4 run, including three straight points on set-point. But the attempted comeback was to no avail as the Lady Lions took the first set, 25-16.
In the second set, the Hilltoppers were again down early, 10-5. But the Hilltoppers picked up momentum and took an 18-14 lead. The lead, however, did not last long as the Hilltoppers and Lady Lions tied at 20-20 and battled back-and-forth continuously for several more points. The Lady Lions had five game-points, but could not close out the set as the Hilltoppers won, 31-29.
The third set was at a 4-4 stalemate when the Lady Lions began running away with the set. The Lady Lions trounced the Hilltoppers in the set, 25-9.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the fourth set, but soon found themselves on the wrong end of an 8-0 run. The Hilltoppers managed battled back to a 15-15 tie and then took a 19-17 lead. With the match tied at 20-20, the Lady Lions took the lead on a service error followed by an attack error by the Hilltoppers. The Lady Lions hung on to win the set, 25-22.
The Hilltoppers attack was led by sophomores Ashley Vander Hey, who had 14 kills, and Lindy Luleff, who had nine. Freshman Ale'tra Ware also contributed eight kills and junior Pam Osborn added seven. Senior Allison Ralston dished out 33 assists in the match.
Defensively, the Hilltoppers were led by junior Stacie Robertson, who had 14 digs and freshman Michelle Hundt, who had 13. Vander Hey also had 13 digs for her eighteenth double-double on the year.
For the Lady Lions, Heidi Luks led all competitors with 15 kills, and Brittany Hunt added 12 more kills to the attack. Jettie Stec and Fabiane Nass both added nine kills to the attack. Lucia Najselova dished out a game-high 43 assists for the Lady Lions.
Defensively, four players for the Lady Lions had double-digit dig totals; Keely Rivera, who had a game-high 17 digs, Janie Price, who had 12, Nass, who had 16, and Luks, whose 16 digs gave her a double-double on the night.
The Hilltoppers will return to action at home Friday for a match against West Texas A&M. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. in the RCC.