NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team fell in a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-14) final against a North Park side that is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches' Poll.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two sides as the teams had five ties and a pair of lead changes through 18 points of play. The Vikings shifted the momentum in the opening stanza after an 8-0 run put North Park ahead 15-9. A kill by
Colleen McCarthy, an attack error by the Vikings, and a kill by
Mia Shields pulled the Belles within 15-12. The teams traded points with one another. North Park had another spurt for an 18-13 lead before closing out the set with a 6-0 run for the 25-14 win.
Saint Mary's turned a 6-3 deficit in the second set into a 10-9 lead with points off of kills by
Cali Allen,
Grace Braselton, and
Colleen McCarthy along with some miscues by the Vikings. North Park countered with a 7-2 run for a 16-12 lead as the Belles called a timeout.
Cali Allen tried to get the Belles back on track with a kill on the next point, but the Vikings took three of the next four points for a 19-13 advantage. Saint Mary's continued to battle while staying within striking distance. A kill by McCarthy, an attack error by North Park, and a service ace by McCarthy edged the Belles within two points at 22-20. After calling a timeout, the Vikings used three consecutive kills for the 25-20 win in the set.
North Park shifted the momentum again in the third set by using a 7-2 scoring run to take a 12-8 lead. A service error by the Vikings followed by a solo block by McCarthy put the Belles within two points at 12-10. The Vikings rattled off four consecutive points before extending their lead to 21-12. Grace Baselton and
Shay Theile each had a kill late in the set, but the deficit was too large to overcome in the 25-14 final in the set.
The Belles (3-11) return to conference competition on Tuesday when they travel to Hope for a 7:00 p.m. contest.
