Saint Mary’s College volleyball fell 3-0 to Calvin on Oct. 14, pulling the team down to 12-6 on the year, 0-4 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association and extending its streak of losses to six games. The Knights have found success this season, with this win marking their 17th in 20 games and also their fifth straight. They also hold second placing in the MIAA.
Early into the game, the Belles traded points with Calvin from a mix of service aces by Knights sophomore setter Delaney Kemp and kills from Calvin’s freshman outside Sarah Bradley, Saint Mary’s sophomore middle hitter Kalli Lewkowski, Calvin's senior middle hitter Emma Ekblaw and Saint Mary’s senior middle hitter Grace Braselton. After the opening points, Calvin grabbed the game by its reins and always kept a stable lead against Saint Mary’s, only allowing 13 points. The Knights had smaller streaks throughout the set, yet closed off strong with a 5-0 run from two attack errors from the Belles and kills from junior middle hitter Mary Boa, senior outside hitter Madison Wiersema and Bradley.
Calvin got out to a quick start against Saint Mary’s, taking advantage of the momentum they had from winning the previous set. The Knights scored nine points before the Belles could score a third of that; however, the run was less about mistakes on Saint Mary’s end and more from the pure aggression of Calvin’s offense at the net. The Belles were able to fight back and try to keep the Knights in sight with kills from junior middle hitter Caroline Carens and Lewkowski; however, Calvin took advantage of the weak serve receive from Saint Mary’s and ended the set on two service aces from Lina Kasuboski.
The Belles pulled together a strong third set. Saint Mary’s and Calvin traded points consistently in the beginning, yet the Knights were able to go on a 10-3 scoring run that closed at 25-16, winning the match 3-0.
Sophomore setter Giuliana Graczyk and junior setter Abby Reese ran the offense, garnering 12 and eight assists, respectively. Lewkowski led the Belles with six kills while Braselton and Carens added five each. Senior libero Karli Fagan led with 10 digs, with Reese and freshman outside hitter Shannon Rudge following her feat with eight apiece.
The Belles will travel to face Elmhurst University on Friday, Oct. 17, which is 7-14 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Bluejays boast hitters like sophomore outside Ashley Clardy and junior opposite Blair Johnson, who have 217 and 216 kills on the season, respectively. Carens leads the Belles with 208. Elmhurst’s offense is controlled by sophomore setter Freddie Temple who already has 692 assists on the season thanks to an efficient back row led by senior libero Alexis Casey, who has 371 digs on the year. The Bluejay defense is very strong at the net with two players at nearly 40 blocks: senior middle Keely Larson and Johnson.
Saint Mary’s will return home on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to host Adrian College at 7 p.m.
