CHICAGO --- Desiree Anderson (FR/Joliet, Ill.) delivered in the clutch and Taylor Valant (SR/St. Anne, Ill.) became the second University of St. Francis women's volleyball player to author career kill No.1,000 this month in leading the Fighting Saints to a 26-24, 25-21, 25-20 victory over Saint Xavier University in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play Friday night.
Anderson helped USF (9-7, 6-4 CCAC) close out Sets 2 and 3 with her late kills as part of an overall team-high eight kills on the night. She also delivered a team-best six block assists.
Valant, who joined teammate Brooklyn Withey (SR/Lapeer, Mich.) in the 1,000-Kill Club this season, attacked without error on her historic night. She converted seven of 15 attack attempts with no miscues for a .467 hitting clip.
Anderson and Valant were two of five Saints to produce at least five kills leading to the team's overall .200 attack mark.
Alexis Engst (JR/Bloomington, Ill.) guided the sound offensive night with her 26 assists, while Gabby Paelmo (JR/Schaumburg, Ill.) took care of business defensively with her 24 digs.
Other contributors included Lauren Stefanski (SR/Plainfield, Ill.) with her six kills, three aces and three assist blocks. Stephanie Woods (JR/Westchester, Ill.) was right behind Anderson with her five assist blocks as part of an overall 11-block night for the Saints.
The match was tight throughout with USF rallying from a 10-5 deficit in Set 1 with a 6-1 run to go up 16-15. Five ties ensued from there before the Saints registered the final two points of the set, including one on an Engst kill.
In Set 2, it was St. Francis that took the early lead only to see that disappear with six ties eventually resulting. This time, USF tallied the final three points, including kills from Anderson and Withey.
The final set featured a match-high 12 ties with the Saints capping off the contest with the final four points, two of which came on the last two kills of Anderson's night.
Head coach Cara Currier's club is right back at it at 1 pm on Saturday when it heads to Deerfield, Ill. to face Trinity International University and close out a stretch of four matches in five days.
