JOLIET, Ill. --- Double-doubles from
Gabriela Oliveira,
Desiree Anderson and
Kaylie Sippel enabled the University of St. Francis women's volleyball team to celebrate Senior Night with a 25-15, 25-14, 25-16 victory over Indiana University Northwest in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play Saturday night at the Sullivan Center.
Oliveira, one of two seniors recognized on the night, led the team in both kills (16) and digs (16), while also attacking at a .333 clip. Sippel matched Oliveira's dig total to go along with her 28 assists.
Anderson nearly played without error in the match, totaling 14 kills against only one miscue in 27 chances to hit at a season-high .481 clip. She also led the way defensively with three blocks, while collecting 13 digs.
Aaliyah Montgomery, the other senior in the spotlight on Saturday, recorded three kills and two blocks.
The Saints (10-18, 8-5 CCAC) trailed 7-5 in Set 1 before taking control with a 10-1 run. Anderson (2 kills), Montgomery, Sippel and Oliveira all sparked the rally with at least one kill. Indiana Northwest (8-21, 5-8) would never get closer than six points the rest of the set.
A run of six unanswered points early in Set 2 by USF turned a 4-3 deficit into a 9-4 lead thanks to a pair of Oliveira kills. Another 5-0 run followed to turn a 13-9 lead into an 18-9 advantage courtesy of two more kills from Anderson and the Saints never looked back.
St. Francis closed out the match in the minimum three sets when
Taylor Connolly authored a pair of kills in a 5-0 burst to open up an 18-10 lead en route to the victory.
Notes: Sippel recorded her seventh straight double-double on Saturday night and her team-leading 14th of the season … Anderson's double-double was her 11th, while Oliveira's was her ninth … The Saints close out the season next week with a non-conference matchup against Lewis University on Tuesday and the league finale on Thursday against St. Ambrose. A win in the latter match would secure a home playoff game for USF.
Links to live coverage can be found at gofightingsaints.com/coverage. You can also keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on Twitter @USFSaints.
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