Volleyball Drops Two Matches at Labor Day Classic

BELLEVUE, NEB. (Sept. 1, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) volleyball team lost two matches on Friday at the Labor Day Classic hosted by Bellevue University. The Saints fell to No. 18-ranked Central Methodist University (CMU) 3-0 in the first match. They dropped the second match 3-1 against Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU). The Saints are now 3-7 on the season.

vs. Central Methodist University

Head Coach Scott Mattera said, "We definitely took one on the chin this morning against a national power. They played really well and we just didn't have answers. Playing without Mia Dorsey takes some getting used to and we weren't ready to do that against a team as good as Central Methodist University. The Eagles executed extremely well. We learned from it and will be better for the experience even though it's unpleasant going through it."

Basics

The Saints struggled against a disciplined Central Methodist team in the first match of the day. The Eagles forced the Saints into 19 errors while committing only seven. Central Methodist had over a .400 hitting percentage in every set. Madalyn Gonzalez totaled seven kills and didn't have an error for a .538 hitting percentage.

Scoring overview

Set One – CMU 25 – OLLU 14

Set Two – CMU 25 – OLLU 9

Set Three – CMU 25 – OLLU 15

Set review

In the first set, OLLU recorded 10 kills and six errors on 30 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .133.

The Saints had four kills in the second set and eight errors on 28 total attacks for a hitting percentage of -.143.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 10 kills and five errors on 30 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .167.

On the offense

Overall, the Saints had 24 kills for a hitting percentage of .057. Central Methodist totaled 44 kills for a hitting percentage of .463.

Gonzalez led the Saints with seven kills. Callie Henson totaled a team-high 14 kills for the Eagles.

Lauren Reynard assisted on 21 plays for the Saints while Gabi Owczarek tallied 22 assists for Central Methodist.

Defensive standouts

OLLU had a total of 25 digs, led by Tina Trevino with 13. Krystal Brauner tallied 17 digs for the Eagles.

Serving it up

The Saints didn't record a service ace. Owczarek had three service aces for the Eagles.

vs. Dakota Wesleyan University

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, "I couldn't be happier with the effort against a preseason top 15 team in the country. We played really good volleyball as evidenced by the number of kills we had each game. Our defense was solid as well even though they outsized us all across the net. Dakota Wesleyan University made a few more plays than us but we never backed down. We earned some respect in the loss and added more bricks to what we are building. Victoria Urbanczyk had by far her best match as a Saint!"

Basics

OLLU lost in a close match against DWU to finish play on Friday at the Labor Day Classic. The Tigers played a clean first set with no errors and 14 kills. The Saints responded in the following set by posting 17 kills on 44 attacks. Ady Dwight tallied two kills at the end of the third set to give the Tigers a 2-1 advantage. The Saints battled back from a five-point deficit in the fourth set but fell short with costly errors late in the frame.

Scoring overview

Set One – DWU 25 – OLLU 18

Set Two – OLLU 25 – DWU 19

Set Three – DWU 25 – OLLU 19

Set Four – DWU 25 – OLLU 22

Set review

In the first set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and six errors on 45 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .178.

The Saints had 17 kills in the second set and seven errors on 44 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .227.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and eight errors on 50 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .120.

The Saints recorded 10 kills in the fourth set and 13 errors on 46 total attacks for a hitting percentage of -.065.

On the offense

Overall, the Saints had 55 kills for a hitting percentage of .114. DWU totaled 42 kills for a hitting percentage of .183.

Mia Francis led the Saints with 16 kills. Dwight totaled a team-high 14 kills for the Tigers.

Reynard assisted on 47 plays for the Saints while Kayleigh Hybertson tallied 36 assists for DWU.

Defensive standouts

OLLU had a total of 86 digs, led by Trevino with 27. Tya Weideman tallied 25 digs for the Tigers.

Serving it up

Camila Ramirez and Julissa Casas recorded three service aces each for OLLU. Hybertson and Callie Slagter had two service aces apiece for the Tigers.

Up next

The Saints finish play at the tournament tomorrow against Indiana University Kokomo at 9 a.m.