NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team was stopped in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-14) final against Alma at home on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Belles took an early 8-3 lead over the Scots with Lindsey Pelletier and Nicole Lukens each putting down two early kills. The sides traded points back and forth over the next stretch of play before Alma used a four-point spurt to pull within 10-9. Pelletier pounded down another kill, but three more Alma points gave the Scots their first lead of the set at 12-11. After ties at 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14, Alma gained a 16-14 lead as the Belles opted for a timeout. Saint Mary's came back to tie things up at 19-19 before going up 21-19 with kills by Pelletier and Lukens. Nola Wallace then gave the home side a 22-21 lead with a kill, but back-to-back points put the Scots ahead 23-22. A miscue by Alma tied the score at 23-23, but the Scots took the next two points for a 25-23 win in the first set.

 

Undeterred, the Belles came out swinging in the second stanza and built a 10-4 lead a kill by Megan Collantes and four consecutive kills by Nicole Lukens. A six-point run by Alma, however, tied the set at 10-10. Alyssa Chong put a stop to the run with a kill, and Lindsey Pelletier added another point with a kill for a 12-10 advantage. Saint Mary's held the Scots to no more than two consecutive points over the next stretch of play as the Belles maintained an 18-16 edge. The Scots then put three points on the scoreboard to take a 19-18 lead as the two teams continued to battle back and forth. With the set tied at 20-20 just moments later, Alma gained the upper hand with a four-point run for a 24-20 lead before closing out the set two points later with a kill for a 25-21 second-set win.

 

An early 5-0 run by Alma put the Scots ahead 6-2, but the Belles came back with short spurts of scoring to pull within a point at 9-8, 10-9, and 11-10. The Scots, however, took over the momentum for good with a seven-point spurt for an 18-10 lead. The Belles could not cut the deficit to fewer than six points down the stretch as the Scots took the sweep with a 25-14 win in the set.

 

Nicole Lukens led the Belles with 13 kills while collecting her twelfth double-double with 14 digs. Lindsey Pelletier hit a .389 with eight kills, and Megan Collantes added seven kills and a match-high 15 digs. Morgan VanderWey posted a double-double of her own with 28 assists and 14 digs. Brittney Tarkanyi chipped in 12 digs.