Tag: volleyball

Volleyball battled in opening round of nationals

The OLLU volleyball team fought hard against Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE), losing two sets by just three points and one set by six to end their 2024 season in the Opening Round of the 45th Annual NAIA Volleyball National Championship. CUNE, which is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, will move on to Pool Play with a 25-3 record, while the Saints finish the season with a 23-9 record.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “Our ladies represented OLLU in a way that should make every member of the Saints community proud. They put up such a fight and handled themselves with such class. We were in every set with chances to win, but Concordia is No. 2 for a reason, and we made just a few more plays than we did. It was a fun, intense battle all the way through.

“Ani played great again, leading us in kills, and Lauren had a really nice match mixing things around and stealing points with timely dumps.”

Match recap
The Saints started each set with the lead, but CUNE pushed through to lead. However, the Saints remained within a short distance from the Bulldogs throughout the match. In the first set, the Saints tied six times before letting it slip away at 16-16. The Bulldogs won 25-22.

In the second period, the Saints led 3-2, and Julissa Casas’ serve scored five points to give them the lead 9-6. The teams tied four times, but the Bulldogs battled to win 25-19.

The Saints went up 5-2 to begin the third set, and they led until the Bulldogs tied at nine. A kill from Anais Velasquez to tie the game at 22-22 gave the Saints some hope, but CUNE scored three straight points to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.

Match stats
Lauren Reynard led the Saints in assists with 20, while Tina Trevino and Julissa Casas each added 10 digs. Velasquez contributed 10 kills on 22 total attacks for a .318 hitting percentage. Nicole Bir tallied two blocks, and Carly Dossett totaled three service aces.

CUNE had three players with double-digit kills. Ashley Keck had 15, while Kya Scott and Ella Waters each had 10. Rebecca Gebhardt added 16 digs, and Keck had 12. Savannah Shelburne recorded 21 assists, and Lily Psencik had 18.

OLLU’s stats included 38 kills and 14 errors on 113 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .212. The Saints scored 37 assists, 45 digs, and six service aces.

CUNE’s stats included 51 kills and 12 errors on 111 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .351. The Bulldogs added 47 assists, 55 digs, and four blocks.

Conclusion
The Saints finish with the fourth-best record in program history at 23-9. Other records include:

  • Most assists (1,453)
  • Most digs (1,995)
  • Most solo blocks (122)
  • Second most kills in a season (1,519)
  • Third most total blocks (195)
  • Third most kills in a match (71)
  • Tied for most assists in a match (68)
  • Tina Trevino tied for most digs in a match (39)
  • Tina Trevino – most career digs (2,086)
  • Tina Trevino – third most career matches played (118)
  • Tina Trevino – third most career sets played (413)
  • Camila Ramirez – most career kills (1,218)
  • Camila Ramirez – fourth most career sets played (406)
  • Lauren Reynard – second in career assists (2,714)
  • Anais Velasquez – second most blocks in a season (30)

Volleyball sweeps TAMUT to win conference championship, earns nationals berth

Join team at noon Monday to find out who they play in opening round

Head Coach Scott Mattera led the volleyball team to his second Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament Title on Saturday as the team swept Texas A&M University (TAMUT) in three sets. Their victory has earned them a berth in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

The NAIA Selection Show will take place Monday at noon revealing who the Saints will face for the opening round and where the match will take place. A watch party will be held in UWAC Room 104, and all are welcome to attend.

RRAC Conference Tournament overview
The TAMUT Eagles, as the No. 1 seed, and OLLU, as the No. 2 seed, faced a challenging path to the finals. No. 4-seed Louisiana Christian University (LCU) and No. 5 Paul Quinn College battled it out, with LCU emerging victorious to face TAMUT in the first semifinals match. No. 3-seed Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) also fought hard, defeating No. 6-seed Jarvis Christian University to advance to the semifinals against OLLU. This journey to the finals was filled with intense competition and showcased the strength of each team.

TAMUT first defeated LCU 3-0, and OLLU defeated XULA 3-1, and the two teams advanced to the finals.

Match overview
The Saints won the first set 25-23. OLLU tallied 14 kills and six errors on 44 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .182. The Eagles added 13 kills and nine errors on 42 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .095.

In the second game, OLLU won 25-20, and the Saints recorded 10 kills on eight errors in 40 attacks for a .050 hitting percentage. TAMUT came out even with eight kills and eight errors on 39 attacks for a hitting percentage of zero.

In the third period, the Saints had 12 kills on four errors in 33 attacks, for a hitting percentage of .242. The Eagles fared better, with 14 kills and four errors in 37 attacks, for a hitting percentage of .270.

Overall, the Saints recorded 36 kills and 18 errors on 117 attacks, for a .154 hitting percentage. The team also had 34 assists, five aces, and 57 digs.

The Eagles had similar stats: 35 kills, 21 errors on 118 attacks, and a hitting percentage of .119. The team also had 34 assists, two aces, 58 digs, and seven blocks.

Individual leaders
Anais Velasquez’s outstanding performance, leading the Saints with 10 kills on 21 attacks and earning the 2024 RRAC Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Winner titles, is a source of pride for the team and the OLLU community. Her achievement is a testament to the team’s dedication and talent.

Camila Ramirez tallied seven kills and also earned All-Tournament honors.

Lauren Reynard added 16 assists to earn All-Tournament, while Tina Trevino recorded 19 digs and also earned All-Tournament honors.

TAMUT’s Alanna Deering added seven kills and earned All-Tournament honors. Teammate Paulina Dobreva had eight kills and earned All-Tournament recognition.

Zoe Martinez led her team in assists with 17 and 13 digs. Mia Mata added 16 digs for her team.

Other All-Tournament winners were Kamea Uitenham from XULA and Kierra Jones from LCU.

What’s next
The opening round for nations is scheduled for Saturday at various campus sites. The winners of the opening round will advance to the Pool Play competition, which will be held Dec. 4-10 at the Tysons Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Volleyball sweeps Southwest to close regular season

The volleyball team ended the regular season on a high note with two sweeps of the University of the Southwest (USW). The Saints are now 21-8 overall and 14-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Mustangs drop to 3-18 overall and 3-13 in the RRAC.

History
The Saints were 26-4 against the Mustangs prior to the matches.

Game one recap
Both squads had seven errors in the first set. The Saints had one more kill than the Mustangs in the frame, and would prove to be important as the Saints escaped the first set with a 25-21 win.

The Saints dominated the second set with 16 kills and only four errors. OLLU forced the Mustangs into a negative hitting percentage and five errors.

The third set was the tightest of the three frames. The Mustangs tallied 22 points, but OLLU’s 16 kills were enough to earn the sweep.

Overall, the Saints had 43 kills and 18 errors on 105 total attacks for a .238 hitting percentage. Southwest tallied 21 kills and 18 errors on 96 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .031.

Mia Francis led in kills with 12, and Camila Ramirez added 10. Lauren Reynard finished with 26 assists. Ariana Caldera fled the squad with three service aces.

Assistant Coach Raven Swain said, “We had a slow start that we just can’t have, especially this late in the season. We struggled with serve receive in the beginning and it picked up, but we will continue to find a way to start off matches right from the start and maintain consistency. We played well as a team, and we were able to overcome Southwest with some great serving runs. The diverse offense also led us to a successful win.”

Game two recap
The Saints took the first set 25-14 backed by 13 kills. Ramirez had five kills followed by Anais Velasquez with four. Velasquez also had two block assists.

Both teams committed seven errors in the second set, but the Saints 15 kills was the difference. They won 25-18 and Ramirez continued her impressive match with four kills. Carly Dossett and Reynard both had five assists in the frame.

The Saints also won the third set 25-18. The Saints had their best hitting percentage of the match in the third frame. They totaled 11 kills with only three errors for .242 percent. Francis had six of the 11 kills.

Overall, the Saints had 39 kills and 10 errors on 105 total attacks for a .276 hitting percentage. USW tallied 29 kills and 24 errors on 109 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .046.

Ramirez and Francis led the Saints with 11 kills apiece. Reynard finished with 13 assists, and Arianna Moreno added 11. Francis finished with a .391 hitting percentage.

Swain commented, “We had a better start than on Friday, but still had some moments of losing focus and staying consistent with executing the skills of volleyball. We know as a team where we need to be with postseason right around the corner. We want to make sure we are keeping good habits and it was better in the end. We had great blocks that continued to give us momentum along with great shot selections. The servers kept pressure on Southwest and our setters continued to mix up our offense, which has been another key focus this week. These were two great road wins to finish out conference play, but it’s time to regain focus and prepare for a great week of practice in preparation for the conference tournament.”

What’s next
OLLU will host the RRAC Championship Tournament from Friday and Saturday.

Volleyball crushes Texas College 3-0

The volleyball team crushed Texas College (TC) 3-0 in both Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) matches on Oct. 25 an 26. The Saints’ defense kept the Lady Steers offense at bay, limiting them to a first-day -.134 and a second-day-.093 hitting percentage. The Saints improve to 18-7 overall and 11-1 in the conference, while Texas College drops to 0-14 and 0-12 in the conference.

History
The Saints have maintained an impressive record of 30-0 against the Lady Steers, never allowing a set win in these matches.

Match one – Oct. 25
The Saints quickly went up 6-0 before the Lady Steers could add a point. They kept TC to single-digit scoring until set point, and the Saints put the first set away 25-10.

In the second set, the Saints jumped to a 5-0 lead. After the Lady Steers added their first point of the set, OLLU went on a 6-0 run to pull ahead 11-1. The Saints’ power was on full display as they won the set 25-5.

The final set was more of the same. Carly Dossett served five points to move the Saints to an 18-8 lead. TC added four more points as the Saints dominated to a 25-12 set win and a 3-0 match victory.

The Saints made only 10 errors on 85 total attacks for a .353 hitting percentage. They had 40 kills, 39 assists, and 56 digs while limiting the Lady Steers to 11 kills, 11 assists, and 30 digs.

Camila Ramirez led the Saints with eight kills on 14 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .429. Carly Dossett tallied 16 assists, and Chanisty Villarreal Bermea turned in nine digs.

Match two – Oct. 26
The Saints’ last home match of the regular season was a celebration of the achievements of seniors Julissa Casas, Camila Ramirez, and Tina Trevino. All four-year seniors with record-setting stats and impressive academic achievements—were honored and presented with a photo montage and flowers. In addition, spirit team member and senior Ginobili Cobarrubias was honored during the match.

The Lady Steers had a better outing on Saturday. While they were no match for the Saints, they reached double-digit scoring and trailed by only five points at 10-15. They got as close as four points against the Saints, but the OLLU closed out the first set 25-16.

In the second set, the teams tied at three, seven, and 14 before the Saints went on a 6-0 run to lead 20-14. OLLU completed the closest set of the series with a 25-16 win.

The Lady Steers continued to put plenty of effort in the third set, staying close to OLLU at the beginning. The Saints turned in multiple point runs to finish the set 25-13 and the match 3-0.

Anais Velasquez tallied seven kills in the match, while both Carly Dossett and Lauren Reynard added 11 assists each. Dossett also added four service aces, while Tina Trevino turned in 11 digs.

What’s next
Several of the Saints’ starting lineup stayed on the sidelines and only played one or two sets in the matches. They will get set for the series against Xavier University of Louisiana Nov. 1-2 at New Orleans and the University of the Southwest Nov. 8-9 at Hobbs, N.M. OLLU will host the RRAC Championship Tournament Nov. 15-16.

Volleyball extends winning streak with wins over Huston-Tillotson

The volleyball squad marked two wins over Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) this weekend. The Saints improve to 16-7 overall and 9-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Rams fall to 3-16 overall and 3-9 in conference. The Saints have won nine straight matches.

History
The Saints were 31-3 against the Rams prior to the matches.

Match one on Oct. 18
The Saints played a solid first set to start the match on Friday. They marked 19 kills on 41 attacks, but HTU’s offense also sparked with only one error. The Rams won the first frame 25-22 after three attacking errors by the Saints when it was tied. OLLU bounced back in the second set with double-digit kills again. They held the Rams to a .192 hitting percentage and took the set 25-18. The third set was one-sided in the Saints favor. The Rams struggled with a negative hitting percentage and the Saints held them to seven points. The fourth set was competitive with both squads marking over 10 kills. The Saints started to pull away after leading 13-10. OLLU recorded multiple service aces and capitalized on attacking errors by the Rams. The Saints won in four sets to stretch the winning streak to eight matches.

Assistant Coach Raven Swain said, “The first match was close and HTU’s crowd had a lot of intensity. We struggled a bit in the first set with just playing our game. We settled in and executed the skills; we really thrived and came out successful with the win! Arianna Moreno had some great serving and Anais Velasquez had key blocks that shifted the momentum. We played well and are always happy to get another win on the board.”

Match two on Oct. 19
Saturday’s game was played at Mabee Gymnasium with the Saints as the away team. The second match was similar to the first, with the Rams taking the first set and the Saints fighting back by winning three straight. OLLU had 13 kills in the first set but committed 10 errors. They responded in the second set with 14 kills and only three errors. The Rams had a negative hitting percentage in the frame and the Saints evened the score. The Saints played a near flawless third set with 14 kills and only one error. They finished the match with nine kills in the fourth set. Mia Francis, Anais Velasquez, Mia Francis and Camila Ramirez had double-digit kills. Tina Trevino gathered 32 digs and Reynard had 27 assists. The Saints have victories in nine straight matches and have only lost five sets in the span.

Swain commented, “We played well but struggled again in the first set. We didn’t come in ready to play and weren’t being intentional about the little things. We committed errors and our defense wasn’t making plays that we normally make. We focused on playing our game and took control of the match. We had great kills by Mia Francis and great serving from multiple players that changed the energy of the game. We are happy for another win, but now it’s time to get back in the gym and continue to prepare for our next matches!”

Up next
The Saints host Texas College on Friday at 7 p.m.

Volleyball achieves two significant milestones in sweep of LCU

The volleyball team achieved two significant milestones this weekend, adding to their impressive 2024 season. Head Coach Scott Mattera recorded his 200th career win after Friday’s match, and Camila Ramirez became the Saints’ all-time leader in kills. The Saints swept Louisiana Christian University (LCU) in straight sets on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. They now stand at 14-7 overall and 7-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference, while LCU drops to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in conference.

History
The Saints have been 9-0 against the Wildcats since 2021, allowing only two set wins in those nine matches.

Matchday on Oct. 11
The Saints showcased their dominance at the start of the match, going up 8-1 before the LCU coach called a timeout. The Wildcats could only muster eight points, while the Saints led by nine. Camila Ramirez served three points, with kills from Anais Velasquez and Mia Francis, as the Saints went up 24-13. A kill from Makaelyn Perez ended the first set, with the Saints winning 25-14.

Lauren Reynard served six straight points to put the Saints at 7-1. Attack errors plagued the Saints, and the Wildcats took advantage by closing the score gap by two at 7-9. The Saints jumped back in to go up 15-9. LCU again tried to close the gap by coming as close as one point, but their efforts proved futile as the Saints closed out the set with a 25-21 win.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the match in the third set, going up 4-2. The Saints tied the set at four and never looked back. They reached 20 points, while the Wildcats were still stuck at nine. Kills from Francis and Velasquez completed the Saints’ sweep, with the 25-12 win.

Significant stats
The Saints recorded 51 kills for a .351 hitting percentage while limiting the Wildcats to just 23 kills for a .063 hitting percentage.

Camila Ramirez and Mia Francis both turned in 14 kills. Lauren Reynard finished with 22 assists, while Arianna Morena had 14. Chanisty Villarreal Bermea recorded four service aces, and Tina Trevino marked 25 digs.

With the win on Friday, Head Coach Scott Mattera achieved a significant milestone in his career, recording his 200th career victory. This includes 103 wins at OLLU and 97 wins at Concordia University-Nebraska as a head coach. Coach Mattera’s achievement also marks him as OLLU volleyball’s winningest coach, surpassing the record of inaugural Head Coach Mark Lee, who had 102 wins during his eight years at OLLU.

LCU’s Kate Campbell was the only Wildcat to have double-digit kills with 10.

Matchday on Oct. 12
Despite the Wildcats’ early momentum, the Saints quickly regrouped and took the lead, demonstrating their resilience. They sealed the set with a series of powerful kills from Francis, Velasquez, and Perez, winning 25-19.

The Saints returned to the court for the second set with the same mentality, and nothing the Wildcats tried worked. OLLU trounced LCU to lead 14-3. The Wildcats scored just 12 more points, and the Saints closed out the game with a 25-15 win.

The third set was a testament to the Saints’ unity and teamwork. Despite a close start, the team continued to secure key points. Kills from Urbanczyk, Bir, and Velasquez sealed the 25-17 win and a 3-0 match.

Significant stats
OLLU turned in 40 kills for a hitting percentage of .214. LCU finished with 23 kills for a hitting percentage of .022.

Camila Ramirez led the Saints with 11 kills. She came into the season with 839 kills and, so far, has accumulated 228 kills. She now has 1,067 and has joined the Saints 1,000 Club. Ramirez broke Kendall Groff’s record from 2013-2016 of 1,061 kills to become OLLU’s all-time leader.

Reynard marked 19 assists, and Moreno had 13. Tina Trevino finished with 23 digs.

What’s next
The Saints will now prepare for their next challenge, a crucial RRAC match against Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The teams will then return to San Antonio for their second match on Oct. 19 at noon, where the Saints will look to continue their winning streak.

Volleyball wins conference series against Jarvis

The volleyball team faced a tough Jarvis Christian University (JCU) Bulldogs on Oct. 4 taking the match to a full five sets for the win. The Oct. 5 match was significantly more subdued as the Saints won 3-0. The two wins move the Saints to 11-7 overall and 4-1 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). JCU drops to 10-8 overall and 3-5 in conference.

History
The Saints are 25-0 against the Bulldogs. OLLU swept the Bulldogs in all but three matches.

Match one
The Saints played an energetic JCU team, just sneaking by the Bulldogs in the first set, 25-22. The Bulldogs tallied nine kills on 22 attacks in the opening game, while the Saints had 19 kills on 39 attacks.

The second set was more of a breeze for the Saints, winning 25-12. They added 13 kills, while limiting the Bulldogs to just four with a hitting percentage of -.065.

Both teams were evenly matched in the third set, each contributing 15 kills. The Bulldogs fought throughout to secure the third-set win 25-22.

The fourth set was a similar story as the third with the Saints getting 14 kills and Jarvis tallying 11. The Bulldogs were relentless and won 25-23 forcing a tie-breaker set five.

The Saints and Bulldogs kept going back and fourth, but OLLU was able to come out ahead to win 15-12 to secure the match, 3-2.

Camila Ramirez led the offense with 20 kills on just eight errors in 50 total attacks. She also added seven digs and a block. Mia Francis tallied 18 kills on two errors in 31 total attacks, while Anais Velasquez recorded 11 kills. Tina Trevino finished with 27 digs. Lauren Reynard added four service aces.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “This match was certainly a test of our mental game – there were so many opportunities to give in to the myriad of distractions that environment provided and it almost got the best of us. Some great play from our outsides came through and preserved the win. Cami with 20 kills and Francis with 18 and only 2 errors was enormous. Lauren with 45 assists while running 6-2 (2 setter offense) is a crazy high number!”

Match two
The Saints started the second match with three straight points, but the feisty Bulldogs came back to tie at 3-3. The teams tied again at five, seven, eight, nine and 10 before Mia Francis started the four-point rally. She added a kill and served to two attack errors from Jarvis. Two consecutive kills from Camila Ramirez gave the Saints the 16-14 lead. The momentum stayed with the Saints through the rest of the set and Victoria Urbanczyk scored the final point on a kill to win 25-20.

The Saints continued to dominate in the second game. Lauren Reynard’s serve scored four points to begin. OLLU Went up 12-4 after kills from Anais Velasquez. The Bulldogs finally got to double digits after a Saints error moved the game to 16-10. Carly Dossett’s serve at 23-17 allowed Mia Francis to get a kill, and Dossett closed the game with an ace to win 25-17.

The Bulldogs put up a lot of energy to begin the third set as they went up 5-0. The Saints trailed until they tied the score at nine. From that point on, the Saints held the lead to win 25-18.

Reynard tallied 29 assists, while Tina Trevino recorded 25 digs. Camila Ramirez led on offense with 14 kills for a hitting percentage of .370. Victoria Urbanczyk added 12 kills on 27 total attacks. Mia Francis secure three service aces, and Anais Velasquez added three blocks.

What’s next
The Saints return home to host Louisiana Christian University on Friday and Saturday.

Camila Ramirez records 1,000th kill and leads Saints to sweep over Paul Quinn

In a historic moment, Camila Ramirez achieved her 1,000th kill, a milestone that propelled the volleyball team to a 3-0/3-0 victory over Paul Quinn College (PQC) on Sept. 27 and 28.. This Red River Athletic Conference matchup saw the Saints advance to 10-7 overall and 3-1 in conference, while PQC’s record dropped to 10-7 and 3-3 in conference.

History
The Saints’ dominance over the Tigers is evident in their 11-0 record. OLLU has allowed just two set wins for PQC in these 11 matches, a testament to their superior performance.

Match one – Sept. 27
The highlight of the first match was outstanding play from newcomers Nicole Bir and Anais Velasquez. Both had five kills, with Bir committing no errors and Velasquez recording just two.

The Tigers played aggressively all night, with Carrie Weston leading the team in kills with 12. However, the Saints’ overall performance proved too powerful, logging 49 kills on a .333 hitting percentage while keeping PQC at bay with just 28 kills and a .141 hitting percentage.

Lauren Reynard’s performance was noteworthy, contributing 22 assists and five digs, while teammate Arianna Moreno added 18 assists. Mia Dorsey’s power was on full display as she recorded 10 kills on 23 total attacks, achieving a hitting percentage of .304.

Match two – Sept. 28
The standout of the series was senior powerhouse Camila Ramirez. She entered Friday night’s match just two kills away from reaching 1,000 in her career. With determination and skill, she achieved this milestone within the first set of the match, finishing the day with a total of 1,008 kills. She joins teammate Tina Trevino, who recorded her 1,000th career dig last season in the Saints 1,000 Club. Ramirez is the second volleyball player to record 1,000 kills (Kendall Groff – 2016), and Trevino is the second to record more than 1,000 digs (Assistant Coach Raven Swain – 2017).

Ramirez led the Saints with 10 kills on 30 attacks and added three digs and four blocks. Moreno marked 23 assists, while Reynard finished with 20. Trevino had the most digs of the match with 18. Ariana Caldera did a great job with her serve, adding three aces.

What’s next
The Saints will head out to Hawkins, Texas, next for a series against Jarvis Christian University on Friday and Saturday.

Volleyball middles shine in win over Schreiner

The volleyball team defeated the NCAA D3 Schreiner University (SU( Mountaineers 3-1 on Sept. 13.

The Saints have faced SU 19 times since 2007. The Saints have emerged victorious in all but three matches against the NCAA D3 Mountaineers. The team’s most recent win, propelled by four Saints with double-digit kills, has bolstered their overall record to 7-6, while SU’s record now stands at 4-3.

Assistant Coach Raven Swain shared her thoughts, “Tonight was a great team match on the road. We had a lot of different people contribute to the win and had some great attacks from our middles – Makaelyn Perez and Nicole Bir, who continued to work hard in transition, something we’ve been on them about. This opened so many opportunities for our pins. We credit Schreiner; they are well-coached, had a great crowd and played well. Now, as we return to the gym next week, we are ready to build on this momentum for the upcoming conference play!”

Nicole Bir, in her debut match with the Saints, was nothing short of phenomenal. She delivered seven kills on 15 total attacks and led the team with a hitting percentage of .467. Camila Ramirez and Mia Francis each contributed 13 kills, Makaelyn Perez added 12, and Victoria Urbanczyk finished with 10 kills.

Lauren Reynard contributed 47 assists, the sixth most in her career at OLLU. The Saints’ all-time leader in digs, Tina Trevino, totaled 30. Ramirez also added 23 digs, the most in her four years at OLLU. Chanisty Villarreal Bermea also marked a career-high four service aces.

As a team, the Saints dominated in three of four sets – 25-23, 25-13, 18-25 and 25-16. In the third game, the Mountaineers set a hitting percentage of .429, the highest in the match. Overall, the Saints recorded 62 kills on 169 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .243. The Mountaineers’ stats were 40 kills on 152 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .158.

The Saints will travel to Texarkana, Texas, next for two matches against Texas A&M University—Texarkana to open their conference schedule. The matches are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.

Volleyball sweeps Kansas Wesleyan to end San Antonio ShinDig

The first matchup between powerhouse Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) and OLLU volleyball proved victorious for the Saints. The women battled throughout the match to sweep the Coyotes 3-0, moving to 6-6, while KWU is now 5-2.

The Saints powered through the first set with Chanisty Villarreal Bermea leading the way with her serves. Mia Francis’ strength was on display, with her five kills proving unhittable by the Coyote’s defenders. Victoria Urbanczyk and Camila Ramirez also slammed the ball over the net for three kills each. All in all, the Saints’ 25-16 win included 17 kills on a .441 hitting percentage while the Coyotes were relegated to just seven kills and a .032 hitting percentage.

The Coyotes started the second set determined to keep the game in control. With a score of 6-3 for the Saints, KWU returned to tie at nine. OLLU put up nine points and kept the Coyotes to three to increase to 18-12. The Coyotes threatened late in the set to come within five, but Dorsey’s kill ended the period with the 25-20 win.

For the first time in the match, KWU took the lead to start the third set, going up 5-2. Julia Anguiano’s serves, fueled by three consecutive kills, returned the lead to the Saints at 8-7. The teams tied seven more times in a thrilling back-and-forth before attacking errors from the Coyotes sent the momentum back to the Saints. With the 22-21 lead, kills from Dorsey and Francis sealed the 25-22 set and match win.

The full results of the San Antonio ShinDig are as follows:
Kansas Wesleyan University: 3 wins-1 loss
Our Lady of the Lake University: 3 wins-1 loss
Ottawa University: 2 wins-1 loss
Rocky Mountain College: 2 wins-2 losses
Huston-Tillotson University: 1 loss
John Brown University: 4 losses

What’s next
The Saints will travel next to Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, for a nonconference match on Sept. 13. The Saints hold the all-time record against the Mountaineers with 16 wins and three losses. This match is anticipated to be a tough but exciting one, and the team is looking forward to it.