The volleyball team swept Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) 3-0 in two matches this weekend. The Saints jump to 11-4 overall and remain undefeated at 8-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Rams drop to 3-12 overall and 2-6 in the RRAC.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “We had a solid performance on Friday in what is always a tough environment at Huston-Tillotson. We had a few small lulls but overall stayed consistent and made plays when things got tight. Lots of people stepped up during Saturday’s match with Camila Ramirez sitting out due to an ankle tweak. We are happy to be undefeated in conference headed into the bye week. I’m having a blast getting better together on and off the court!”

History
The Saints were 25-3 against the Rams prior to the matches.

First match (Sept. 30)
Basics
The Saints played a superb match on Friday to start the weekend series against HTU. They totaled over .200 hitting percentage in every set and only committed 12 errors. OLLU limited the Rams to a negative hitting percentage in the third set. Nine players for the Saints tallied at least one kill and Tijana Kruta impressed with a .444 hitting percentage in three sets of play.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – HTU 15

Set Two – OLLU 25 – HTU 21

Set Three – OLLU 25 – HTU 17

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 13 kills and four errors on 23 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .391.

The Saints had 11 kills in the second set and three errors on 25 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .320.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 12 kills and five errors on 33 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .212.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 36 kills for a hitting percentage of .296. Huston-Tillotson totaled 23 kills for a hitting percentage of .049.

Mia Dorsey led the Saints with nine kills. Netania Livingston totaled a team-high seven kills for the Rams.

Lauren Reynard assisted on 18 plays for the Saints while Elaina Spriggins tallied 21 assists for Huston-Tillotson.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 31 digs, led by Tina Trevino with seven. Amaya Benekin-Mills tallied eight digs for the Rams.

Serving it up
Mia Francis tallied two aces for the Saints. Three different players had one ace each for Huston-Tillotson.

Second match (Oct. 1)
Basics
The Saints followed Friday’s victory with another impressive performance. The Rams were able to challenge the Saints in the second and third set, but OLLU ultimately outplayed Huston-Tillotson. Kruta played well again with two solo blocks and Francis tallied double-digit kills. The Saints remained undefeated in conference play with the pair of wins.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – HTU 15

Set Two – OLLU 25 – HTU 19

Set Three – OLLU 25 – HTU 19

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 15 kills and six errors on 27 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .333.

The Saints had 11 kills in the second set and six errors on 27 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .185.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 12 kills and five errors on 32 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .219.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 38 kills for a hitting percentage of .244. Huston-Tillotson totaled 25 kills for a hitting percentage of .035.

Francis led the Saints with 11 kills. Danielle Burns and Jaalin Rosser totaled a team-high six kills each for the Rams.

Reynard assisted on 34 plays for the Saints while Spriggins tallied 24 assists for Huston-Tillotson.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 38 digs, led by Trevino with 14. Benekin-Mills tallied 11 digs for the Rams.

Serving it up
Reynard had three service aces for the Saints. Three different players had one ace each for the Rams.

What’s next
The Saints return home to face Louisiana Christian University on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.