St. Edward’s splits on final day of Hilltopper Classic
AUSTIN, Texas - The St. Edward's volleyball team closed out the Hilltopper Classic with a split on Saturday. The Hilltoppers lost the first match of the day to Emporia State, 3-1, and claimed victory over Southern Arkansas in the finale, 3-2.
In Saturday's opening match, St. Edward's (2-6) came out strong against #5 Emporia State (7-1). The Hilltoppers found themselves tied with the Hornets, 8-8, early on in the first set. St. Edward's broke it wide open midway through the set when two blocks sandwiched around an ace from senior Mandy Phillips pushed the score to, 18-12. The Hilltoppers cruised the rest of the way to take the set, 25-19.
After the first set, Emporia State showed why they are a nationally ranked team, taking the next three consecutive sets to win the match. The Hornets took set two, 25-16, set three, 25-11, and set four, 25-19.
Freshman Ashley Vander Hey led the way with 11 kills. Senior Lindsey Douglas added nine kills and 12 digs. Senior Kelsey Teal led the defensive effort with 21 digs. Sophomore Chelsea Barsamian pitched in with 20 assists.
In the day's second match, St. Edward's met a tough opponent in Southern Arkansas (4-4). The Hilltoppers got off to a slow start in the first set, but was able to rally and tie it up late in the game, 21-21. Southern Arkansas proved to be too much though and took the set, 25-18.
The Hilltoppers came out strong in the second set, running out to a commanding, 12-4, lead. The Lady Muleriders pulled within three points, trailing, 14-11, but then St. Edward's went on a, 11-5, run to clinch the victory. Douglas and sophomore Pam Osborn each had four kills in the, 25-19, set win.
The momentum shifted back toward Southern Arkansas in the third set. They went on to defeat the Hilltoppers, 25-23.
In the fourth set, both teams showed plenty of determination. There were 12 ties and five lead changes in this set alone. In the end it was the Hilltoppers who prevailed. St. Edward's broke a, 17-17, tie with a, 8-1, run to win the set, 25-18, and force a deciding fifth set.
Set five started out much like the fourth. Both teams exchanged points until they settled into a, 3-3, tie. Then the Hilltoppers went on a, 4-0. Up, 7-3, St. Edward's went, 8-3, the rest of the set to win, 15-6.
Vander Hey led the way for the Hilltoppers with a double-double. She had 10 kills and 16 digs. Douglas added a team-high 17 kills with a .292 hitting percentage. Teal led the defense with 25 digs, while Phillips chipped in 10. Barsamian dished out 28 assists and also notched five aces.
After losing the first match of the day, this victory provided some relief for the Hilltoppers. Lindsey Douglas said, "This win felt really good. After a few mistakes early in the tournament, this game was a huge step forward for us. We still have a few things to work on, but we are focused and ready for next weekend's tournament."
St. Edward's will be back in action Friday as the team competes in the Heartland/Lonestar Conference Crossover tournament in San Antonio. The Hilltoppers will take on Abilene Christian at 12:15 p.m. and Cameron at 4:45 p.m.
2008 All-Tournament Team
Ting Liu, Emporia State (MVP)
Brittney Miller, Emporia State
Mallory McKee, Southern Arkansas
Maggie Ross, Southern Arkansas
Lindsey Douglas, St. Edward's
Ashley Vander Hey, St. Edward's
Ellen Thommes, Nebraska-Omaha
Holly Hicks, East Central