Due to the winter weather that swept through Texas last week, the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) volleyball team played a rare Friday afternoon match against Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) opponent Jarvis Christian College (JCC). The Saints swept the Lady Bulldogs 25-17, 25-22 and 25-13. This is the third conference matchup this season between the two teams. The Saints move to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference, while Jarvis is now 0-9 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
The Saints are 19-0 against Jarvis.
With several regulars out, some new Saints took advantage of their chance to shine. Freshman outside hitter Jaalin Rosser (FR/Killeen, Texas) led the offense with 10 kills showing both power and a variety of shots. Anastasia Brown (FR/Aransas Pass, Texas) racked up seven kills of her own out of the middle while Daisy Cantwell (FR/San Antonio, Texas) chipped in with six. Cassidy Haller (FR/Cibolo, Texas) and Tijana Kruta (JR/Bar, Montenegro) kept things balanced along the net, tallying five kills each. Madelynn Strzelczyk (FR/San Antonio, Texas) got the first start of her career running the show at the setter position and acquitted herself well.
Head Coach Scott Mattera reflected, “I thought Mads really ran an efficient offense and mixed the sets around just how we like. When all five hitters have five or more kills in three games, that’s a balanced attack.”
While the Saints didn’t rack up a ton of aces, Mattera was also pleased with the serve game. “We really found the right mix of aggressive and smart from the serve line. Kruta was her usual tough serving self, and Anna (Anna Sujo Hernandez (FR/Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico)) Maddy (Madelyn Gonzalez) and Cantwell were really good back there too, which really kept the pressure on them [Jarvis] all match.”
“Overall, I’m really pleased with what we did today. Jaalin didn’t just get it done physically; she played with poise and confidence that was infectious. T (Tijana) and Ashley (Ashley Maldonado (JR/Laredo, Texas)) did a great job of providing calming veteran leadership…people stepping up physically and intangibly is exactly what you want to see!”
The Saints will return to action next weekend at NCAA DIII opponent LeTourneau University on Friday, followed by an NAIA powerhouse matchup with Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. “They got us in five last year and then went on to perform well at nationals. We are really looking forward to playing them and seeing how we stack up!”