Hilltoppers stuck in neutral, lose to Tarleton in four sets
STEPHENVILLE, Texas-The St. Edward's volleyball team dropped its third straight match Monday, losing to Tarleton State in four sets, 15-25, 25-15, 19-25 and 18-25.
St. Edward's (20-9) has stalled lately, losing four of their last five matches. However, only one of those losses has been to a team in the Heartland Conference.
In the first set, the Hilltoppers went down early and never made a full recovery, losing the first set 25-15 after a 5-0 run by Tarleton State (10-19).
The second set was a reversal of fortunes as the Hilltoppers broke a 6-6 tie and retained the lead. After a 12-2 run, the Hilltoppers beat the TexAnns in the second set, 25-15.
In the third set, the Hilltoppers were once again forced to play catch-up to the TexAnns after falling behind 6-1. On set-point, the Hilltoppers scored four straight, but the TexAnns managed to close out the third set with a 25-19 victory.
The Hilltoppers could not battle back in the fourth set after the TexAnns broke a 7-7 tie to take the lead. That proved to be enough for the TexAnns as they cruised to a 25-18 win in the set.
The Hilltoppers had just a .098 hitting percentage in the match. The Hilltoppers' attack was led by sophomores Lindy Luleff, who had 11 kills, and Courtney Trevino, who had eight. Junior Chelsea Barsamian aided the attack by dishing out 28 assists. Barsamian also had a game-high four service aces in the match.
Defensively, the Hilltoppers had three players with double-digit dig totals. Freshman Michelle Hundt came up with 14 digs, junior Stacie Robertson had 13 digs and sophomore Ashley Vander Hey added 11 digs.
For the TexAnns, Rachel Wolf led the attack with 17 kills. Shay Gracy added 12 kills and Catherine Cutbirth contributed 10 kills to an attack that had a .272 hitting percentage on the night. Setting up the attack, Jessie Hartman led all competitors with 45 assists.
Defensively, Shea McBrearty came up with 24 digs for the TexAnns, and Hartman added 20 digs to record a double-double. Danielle Perkins also had 11 digs on the night. At the net, the TexAnns recorded 12.5 total blocks, with four coming from Erin Lynn.
The Hilltoppers return to action at home Thursday for a Heartland Conference matchup with Incarnate Word. On Oct. 8, the Hilltoppers beat Incarnate Word in San Antonio in a four-set match. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in the RCC.