On Friday, Sept. 12, in a formidable game, the Belles took the Manchester Spartans to five sets, ultimately pulling away with a win to extend their win streak to 7-0, while Manchester dropped to 4-4. The Spartans had a quick start to the game, immediately taking the first few points of the game with big kills and great defensive plays.
Despite the first set being a back-and-forth between the two teams, Saint Mary’s was able to pull out a win, 25-20. The second and third sets mirrored the first in that the ball was constantly changing position. It felt like when the Belles had a monster kill, the Spartans followed suit, or even if Saint Mary’s missed a dig, Manchester would do the same. Although this style of play keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, it’s extremely tough for the players, especially because the back-and-forth makes it impossible to go on big scoring runs and pull away from your opponent just enough to secure a win. The Spartans slipped past with a win in the second set, 25-23, and the Belles would scrape out a win in the third, 25-22.
The fourth and fifth sets were textbook examples of a “Friday night game,” and although they were not very long, they felt as though they lasted a lifetime. Saint Mary’s, coming off a tiring win in the third set, was ready to take the fourth and call it a night. However, Manchester had other plans and fought to take the Belles to a fifth set. Saint Mary’s struggled to keep a swing in the court and let lots of balls drop on defense, allowing the Spartans to push a lead of 16-6 toward the middle of the set. The Belles, understanding that a fifth set was on the horizon, decided to save their energy, allowing Manchester to get massive kills and ultimately take the fourth set 25-12.
The fifth set was grueling for the athletes and stressful for the audience. The first handful of points were very long rallies, with the ball switching sides four to five times before a team scored a point. Heading into the side switch that occurs in the middle of the fifth set, the Belles were up 7-3. Manchester did its best to fight back, continuing its consistent offense and defense it had all game, with one of its own players, freshman outside hitter Adelyn Figley, reaching 19 kills of her own. Ultimately, with a brute swing from junior middle hitter Caroline Carens, Saint Mary’s scored the final point of the match, taking the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
Carens led the night with 17 kills and five blocks, senior outside hitter Delaney Martin led the team with 16 digs, and sophomore setter Giuliana Graczyk led with two aces. Continuing to be a tough team for their opponents in the MIAA, Saint Mary’s will play Franklin College at home on Tuesday.
Franklin preview
With Saint Mary’s sitting at 7-0 after its win over Manchester, the Belles look to keep their momentum going with a match against Franklin College on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The Grizzlies are coming off a three-game losing streak, but will be hungry to snap the Belles’ streak, ready to push Saint Mary’s to a five-set battle — a scenario the Belles have already faced several times this season.
Offensively, Saint Mary’s will continue to be led by Carens, who may even hit a career high in kills. Carens was extremely close with 18 during their match at Benedictine, but fell two kills short. Not only could this match be the one where she breaks her record, but it will definitely be the one where she surpasses 100 season kills, an impressive statistic for her Saint Mary’s career. Aside from Carens, Martin will also be a big leader for the Belles, coming off eight kills from their game against Manchester. With these two at the net, Franklin is sure to struggle staying in-system. Defensively, Saint Mary’s is led by senior libero Karli Fegan and upcoming star freshman outside Shannon Rudge. Both players have 211 digs between them this season and have carried the Belles to a 16.04 digs per set average, whereas Franklin only has 12.4.
For Franklin College, this game could mean snapping its losing streak, which would be key if it wants to remain a competitive team in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Belles need to watch out for offensive players such as senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Lavy, who already has 110 kills on the season and has scored 145 points for the Grizzlies, and junior opposite McKenzie Schroeder, who has 97 kills on the season and 106 points on the year. Defensively, senior defensive specialist Campbell Clark, who has 91 digs, and freshman outside Leah Middleton, who has 71 digs, will prove to be a challenge for the Belles and will force them to become more creative with their plays and spots they hit on the court.
This is going to be a very close matchup that is sure to keep the audience on edge and be one of the toughest challenges for the Belles thus far in their season.
First serve is 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Angela Athletic and Wellness Complex.
