HOUSTON, Texas – After winning the third set 26-24 to take a 2-1 set lead, Lewis & Clark College volleyball was unable to hold off Schreiner University in a five-set loss to close out the University of St. Thomas Invitational on Saturday morning.
THE BASICS
Schreiner 3, Lewis & Clark 2 (12-25, 25-15, 24-26, 25-12, 15-11)
(Lewis & Clark 0-3)
(Schreiner 1-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore
Isabel Meleán-Williams hit a new career-high .333 from the floor and set new collegiate bests with 11 kills and 12 points to help Lewis & Clark on Saturday. She added two digs and a service ace.
Seniors
Bethany Ballesteros and
Ella Ruark also recorded career bests against the Mountaineers. Ballesteros threw on the libero jersey for the second consecutive match and recorded 25 digs to lead the Pioneers' defense. Ruark knocked down six kills and scored seven points, both new collegiate highs, while tying her career-high with three digs.
First-year
Ainsley Mochrie was second on the team with 18 digs for a career-best against Schreiner.
Annika Traxler's 12 kills were tied for the most by all players in the match. The senior added 14 digs and three aces.
The first set was all Lewis & Clark as back-to-back kills by Traxler and Meleán-Williams tied the set at 5-5 and started a 12-1 scoring run. Schreiner called their last time out of the set down 15-6, then cut the Pioneers lead to 16-9. Lewis & Clark then went on a 9-3 run to close out the set. Senior
Emily Strand found Meleán-Williams to give the Pioneers set point, then junior
Reilyn Sabado served up an ace to take the first set.
Lewis & Clark carried the momentum into the second set and jumped out to an 11-5 lead after sophomore
Ruby Kuerschner served up one of her three aces. Schreiner came out of their first time out and rattled off four quick points to cut into the lead and start a 13-1 run. A kill by Ruark combined with a service and hitting error by the Mountaineers pulled the Pioneers within 19-15, but Schreiner scored the final six points to tie the match at a set apiece.
After the break, the Pioneers grabbed the momentum back and jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the third set. The Mountaineers cut into the Pioneers' lead and pulled within four, 14-10. Back-to-back service aces by Traxler gave Lewis & Clark a 17-10 advantage and forced Schreiner to take their final timeout of the set.
A kill by the Mountaineers' Jesse Garner capped off a 7-0 run and tied the set at 17-all. A Schreiner bad serve, kills by Meleán-Williams and Traxler, and another ace by Sabado gave the Pioneers a 21-17 lead. Schreiner pulled within 23-21 to force head coach
Erin Labasan to use her first timeout.
The Mountaineers' Emma Frye hit two kills to tie the set at 24-all, but an attack error by her teammate Jordyn Braxton gave the Pioneers set point. Ruark served up an ace to give Lewis & Clark the win and a two sets to one lead.
Schreiner took a small two-point lead to start the fourth set, but a kill by Traxler tied it at seven, and the Pioneers tied the set again at 10-all on consecutive Mountaineer attack errors. From there, Schreiner tied up the match with a 15-2 run to take the fourth set.
In the deciding set, the two teams traded points to a three-all tie, but the Mountaineers jumped out to an 8-3 advantage. A kill and an ace by Meleán-Williams cut the lead to 11-9. Sophomore
Christi San Diego knocked down a kill to save a match point and pull within 14-11, but the Mountaineers scored the next point to take the match.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Lewis & Clark out hit Schreiner .370 to -.061 in the first set while recording 11 kills.
- Senior Kelsie Nakashima had five digs in the match.
- Strand and San Diego had five kills each in the match to join Traxler, Meleán-Williams, and Ruark with the offensive output.
- Kuerschner finished with 28 assists, eight digs and three aces.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark has the next 12 days off before traveling to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Macalester College Invitational on September 13 and 14. They will open the tournament against the host, Macalester, at 4 p.m. PT (6 p.m. CT).
