The unbeaten Saint Mary's Belles volleyball team will welcome the 4-3 Manchester Spartans to the Angela Athletics and Wellness Complex on Friday night.
Going into the season, the Belles had the odds stacked against them as they were placed in the seventh position by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) preseason rankings. Their strong start proves that they should be ranked higher than third-to-last by the league's coaches.
Saint Mary’s
With an aggressive lineup, the Belles are not afraid to prove their place on the court. They come into this showdown with the Spartans averaging 12 kills per set, 11.39 assists per set, 1.39 blocks per set, 1.74 service aces per set and 16.83 digs per set.
Junior middle hitter Caroline Carens has tallied up a total of 82 kills over the past six games. Behind her, freshman outside hitter and defensive specialist Shannon Rudge totals 56 kills for the Belles. Senior defensive specialist Karli Fegan, sophomore setter Giuliana Graczyk and senior middle and outside hitter Delaney Martin have also starred as they each total six service aces.
Carens, a Naperville, Illinois native, also leads the team with 100.5 points while Rudge, the hometown phenom from Mishawaka Penn High School, follows with a total of 65.5 points. Fegan, an Orland Park, Illinois native, comes through as the defensive leader with a total of 115 digs so far this season. Close behind her is Rudge, who has a total of 75 digs, doing her part to extend rallies defensively, while also racking up kills.
The Belles have yet to be pushed to a fifth and final set by any of their six opponents. They opened the campaign with a 3-0 sweep over Oberlin, before rolling off 3-1 wins over Mt. St. Joseph, Hiram, Kenyon and Benedictine. Their most recent win was a second 3-1 defeat of Benedictine, occurring at home on Sept. 9. Saint Mary's is 2-0 in the friendly confines of the Angela Athletics and Wellness Complex, as well as an impressive 4-0 away from home.
This impressive start is the best of head coach Denise Van De Walle's 11-year tenure at the helm of the squad. Saint Mary's raced out to winning seasons in each of Van De Walle's first three seasons from 2015-17, but have yet to replicate that success and haven't qualified for the postseason since the 2019 campaign. Although it is still early, the Belles seem poised to reverse course and post one of the program's best marks in the last decade.
Manchester
Manchester, who is a part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC), was expected to turn in a successful season, as they were placed third in the HCAC preseason poll. The team is currently 4-3 on the season after their Sept. 9 3-1 win over Kalamazoo. The Spartans have also collected victories over Olivet, Franklin and Wilmington, following their two-game losing streak to open the year against Heidelberg and SUNY Brockport. Manchester comes into this game with strong statistics as they average 11.5 kills per set, 9.6 assists per set and 14.4 digs per set.
Despite these three losses, the Spartans hold a strong front line. Senior outside hitter Avery Ball steps up as an on-court leader with a team-high total of 85 kills and 100.5 points on the season so far. Behind her is sophomore defensive specialist and libero Adelyn Figley, who has tallied 48 kills and 53.5 points. Fellow defensive specialist and libero, junior Tiffany Watterson, joins them as she has totaled 89 digs on the season while Ball adds on another 81 for herself. Junior middle hitter and South Bend product Lily Lichtenbarger comes in handy for the Spartan defense as she has collected 17 blocks on the season.
The Spartans will provide a crucial measuring stick for the Belles as eighth-year head coach Ivan Matos has revitalized the Spartans program over the second half of his tenure. Matos has turned Manchester into one of Indiana's most consistent Division III programs, compiling a 17-10 record in 2023 and an 18-11 mark a year ago in 2024. If the Belles are a real threat to make damage in the postseason, a win over a successful in-state program will do measures.
Now 6-0 on the season, the Belles are ready to host Manchester this Friday, Sept. 12 starting at 7 p.m. Following that, the Belles will remain at home as they host the Franklin Grizzlies for the annual Morgan’s Message Game on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
