OLIVET, Mich. - Saint Mary's College Volleyball defeated the University of Olivet, 3-2, on the final day of the regular season. The Belles improve to 16-10 (3-5 MIAA) while the Comets fall to 8-18 (3-5 MIAA).

The win secures the Belles first postseason appearance since 2021 while the 16 wins is the most for the program in a season since 2017 and ties the most for the program under the direction of Head Coach Denise Van De Walle.

While both teams played close to open the set, Olivet began to pull themselves away from Saint Mary's. After garnering a small lead, the Comets went on a 10-4 run to extend their lead and almost shut the Belles out of the set. Saint Mary's tried mounting a comeback, going on a 7-0 run while some excellent serving from sophomore Giuliana Graczyk (Chicago, IL) to cut the deficit, but the Comets prevailed, 25-20, to take an early 1-0 lead in the match. Junior Caroline Carens (Naperville, IL) led the team with four kills in the set, but it wasn't enough as Olivet outkilled Saint Mary's, 18-9.

Both teams constantly traded points throughout the second set, with neither team able to pull away for more than a couple of points. After Olivet were the first to reach set point, Saint Mary's battled right back and knotted the match at 24 with a kill from senior Grace Braselton (Grand Rapids, MI). The two battled past the 25 point threshold before the Belles used kills from senior Delaney Martin (North Judson, IN) and Carens while posting a strong defensive stance to close the set with a victory, 28-26, and tie the match at one a piece. Carens totaled six kills in the set to bring her match total to 10 while bringing her point total to 11.

The Belles got out to an early five point lead before the Comets battled back to tie the match at 15. After both teams went back and forth, Saint Mary's used a 5-0 run to take a 21-17 lead heading towards the late stages of the third set. Olivet battled right back to tie the match again before both teams traded points back and forth, eventually knotting up at 24, forcing the match to extend. Both teams went back and forth at the tail end of the set, trading points as Carens kept the Belles in the match with three straight kills, but the Comets came out victorious in the third set, 29-27. Carens added seven kills to her tally, bringing her to 17 on the match. Graczyk led the Belles after the third set with 19 assists while junior Abby Reese (Elkhart, IN) added 18.

The fourth set continued the story of the match through its early stages. As Saint Mary's got out to a five point lead before Olivet bounced back to tie the ball game at 10. The Belles got out to a short lead before both teams traded points through the middle portion of the set. Saint Mary's would go on an 8-3 run late in the set to reach set point, holding the Comets to a six point deficit. Olivet bounced back, closing the gap to just two points, but the Belles held strong as Carens finished off the 25-22 victory to send the match to a fifth set. Carens final kill tied a career high 19 while she moved to 21.5 points on the match. Graczyk moved up to 25 assists while five Belles sat with six or more kills on the match.

Saint Mary's carried their momentum from the fourth set into the final, grabbing a big 8-3 lead as the teams switched sides. They kept their momentum going as they closed out the set with a 15-7 win. The Belles outkilled the Comets 8-5 in the set while hitting an incredible .571 as a team. The win puts the Belles at 5-1 on the season in five set matches.

Carens led the team with a career high 20 kills while hitting .395 on the match. She also added six total blocks to lead the team and tallied a career high 23.5 points. Sophomore Kalli Lewkowski (Spring Lake, MI) and Martin added double-digit kills with 11 and 10 each while freshman Shannon Rudge (Granger, IN) added nine. Graczyk led the team with 30 assists on the match while Reese finished with 18.

Senior Karli Fegan (Orland Park, IL) led the team with 22 digs while Rudge added 10. In addition to Carens' six blocks, Martin added three of her own while Lewkowski, Braselton, Reese, and freshman Maddie Taitano (Tacoma, WA) added two each. 

UP NEXT FOR THE BELLES

Saint Mary's heads to the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 with the win. The Belles will travel to take on in-state rival Trine University in the first round on Tuesday, November 11.