Volleyball Splits Matches to Complete Big Sky Challenge
BUTTE, MONT. (Aug. 17, 2024) - The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) volleyball team finished the Big Sky Challenge on Saturday with two matches. They defeated Life Pacific University (LPU) 3-0 and lost to Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) 3-1. The Saints are now 1-3 on the season.
Head Coach Scott Mattera said, "The first match went pretty well. Life Pacific University had swept a good team yesterday so we knew we were in for a fight. Our pin hitters really played clean which allowed us to handle this one is straight sets. The second match was a potential tone setter for the rest of the season. We held Makaelyn Perez out of this match out of an abundance of caution so we were playing a top 40 team with a lineup we had never practiced. The first game and a half it looked like we were just going to take our lumps and head home, but down 18-8 in game two, our ladies made a decision that we were going to fight. We made an epic comeback that got us to 23-24 and a great attack landed just out to end the set in their favor. We then rolled in game three and put a big scare in them in game four. To get up and fight like that while short handed and exhausted at the end of a trip was something special. We've got work to do, but we got a taste of who we can be this weekend against great competition!"
Basics
The Saints used strong offense to defeat LPU at the Big Sky Challenge on Saturday. They hit .360 and .323 in the final two sets with only seven combined errors. They held the Warriors to under .100 hitting percentage in each set. Lauren Reynard and Carly Dossett both assisted on 19 plays. Camila Ramirez had a .444 kill percentage while Tina Trevino marked 19 digs. Makaelyn Perez had four solo blocks as the Saints picked up the first win of the season.
Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – LPU 20
Set Two – OLLU 25 - LPU 16
Set Three – OLLU 25 – LPU 23
Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 17 kills and seven errors on 43 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .233.
The Saints had 12 kills in the second set and three errors on 25 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .360.
In the third set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and four errors on 31 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .323.
On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 43 kills for a hitting percentage of .293. LPU totaled 24 kills for a hitting percentage of .021.
Mia Francis led the Saints with 11 kills. Kylie Proctor totaled a team-high six kills for the Warriors.
Reynard and Dossett assisted on 19 plays apiece for the Saints while Lindseey Johnson tallied 11 assists for LPU.
Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 43 digs, led by Trevino with 19. Kate Smith tallied eight digs for the Warriors.
Serving it up
Dossett led the Saints with three service aces. Emma McMillan had three service aces for the Warriors.
vs. Dakota Wesleyan University
Basics
OLLU battled in a tough four-set loss to the Tigers to end the Big Sky Challenge. The Tigers started strong with a .344 hitting percentage in a first set victory. The Saints fought back from 18-8 down in the second set but lost 25-22. OLLU had a .231 hitting percentage in the third set and stayed alive with a 25-18 victory. The fourth set was similar to the second set. The Saints battled back from down 18-10 but fell just short in a two-point fourth set loss. The Saints concluded the Big Sky Challenge with a 1-3 mark.
Scoring overview
Set One – DWU 25 - OLLU 15
Set Two – DWU 25 - OLLU 22
Set Three – OLLU 25 – DWU 18
Set Four - DWU 25 - OLLU 23
Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 13 kills and seven errors on 38 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .158.
The Saints had 14 kills in the second set and nine errors on 56 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .089.
In the third set, OLLU recorded 12 kills and six errors on 26 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .231.
The Saints had 14 kills in the fourth set and seven errors on 47 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .149.
On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 53 kills for a hitting percentage of .144. Dakota Wesleyan totaled 50 kills for a hitting percentage of .177.
Mia Dorsey led the Saints with 14 kills. Emily Dale totaled a team-high 12 kills for the Tigers.
Reynard assisted on 40 plays for the Saints while Presly Pastian tallied 28 assists for Dakota Wesleyan.
Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 77 digs, led by Trevino with 30. Elizabeth Tyler tallied 24 digs for the Tigers.
Serving it up
Four different players had one service ace each for the Saints. Tyler had two service aces for the Tigers.
Up next
The Saints host the Volleyesta Tourney from Aug. 23-24.