Belles Secure Three Seed in MIAA Tournament with Sweep of Bulldogs
Saint Mary's Stories
- Marielle Corbett had a match-high 12 kills and added 14 digs with three service aces.
- Rachel Bonek put down nine kills to surpass 700 career kills.
- Nicole Lukens chipped in six kills and 15 digs.
ADRIAN, Mich. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team outlasted Adrian in a 3-0 (26-24, 25-11, 25-19) conference match to claim their tenth MIAA win of the year and clinch a No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
The Belles won the first four points of the match and stormed out to a 19-12 lead against the Bulldogs. Adrian came back with a momentum-shifting 8-0 run to gain a 20-19 advantage. Saint Mary's put the next two points on the scoreboard with a kill by Marielle Corbett and an Adrian attack error, but the Bulldogs posted four consecutive to pull ahead 24-21. The Belles fought off three consecutive set points with a kill by Corbett, an Adrian attack error, and a service ace by Corbett to knot the score at 24-24. Another Bulldog hitting error was followed up by a big double block by Alyssa Chong and Rachel Bonek to lift Saint Mary's to the 26-24 set win.
Saint Mary's established an early lead in the second set and never looked back. After going ahead 8-3, the Belles ballooned their advantage to 20-8. During one 5-0 run for Saint Mary's, Rachel Bonek and Corbett each put down kills, Chong had a solo block, and Audrey Shannon served up an ace to give the Belles the momentum for good. Back-to-back attack errors sealed the set for Saint Mary's by the 25-11 score.
The two sides went back and forth to open the third stanza. With the score tied at 5-5, Saint Mary's went on a quick scoring spurt to gain a lead they would not relinquish. An hitting error by Adrian was followed by a kill by Morgan VanderWey and a service ace by Nicole Lukens. The Bulldogs put down a kill to stop the run, but Corbett hammered home a kill and another Adrian attack error made it a 10-6 score in favor of the Belles. Adrian edged within two points at 10-8, but a decisive 6-0 run by Saint Mary's gave the Belles a 16-8 lead. The Bulldogs made a late push to cut the deficit to five points at 24-19, but Nicole Lukens ended the match with a back row attack kill for the 25-19 win.
With the victory, the Belles clinched third place in the MIAA standings with a 10-6 record.
Marielle Corbett had a match-high 12 kills and added 14 digs with three service aces. Rachel Bonek put down nine kills to surpass 700 career kills, and Nicole Lukens chipped in six kills. Lukens led the team with 15 digs while Audrey Shannon posted 14 digs and two aces. Morgan VanderWey tallied 33 assists on the night.
The Belles (14-9, 10-6 MIAA) have a quick turnaround and host Manchester on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.