ST. LOUIS, Mo. --- The University of St. Francis women's volleyball team put up a fight against Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) in the first set on Friday, but fell 3-0 in Match 1 of the Eutectics Classic hosted by University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (Mo.). In a chance at redemption, the Fighting Saints were unsuccessful as they dropped a second three-set match to Missouri Baptist University, a team receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll. The two losses dropped St. Francis to 9-8 overall on the season.
St. Francis vs. Freed-Hardeman
St. Francis started with a strong first set as the two teams saw 10 lead changes throughout the frame. A kill from
Desiree Anderson evened the score at 17 apiece, but a 6-0 swing fueled by three FHU kills proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Saints. USF chipped away to bring the score back within three at 24-21, but the Lions put away USF's chances as they closed the opening set with a 25-21 win.
FHU had the upper hand over St. Francis throughout the entire second set after showcasing a back-and-forth battle in the opening game. After exchanging blows through the first 17 rallies, the Lions took control of the set with a 5-0 run. The Saints would fall behind by as many as nine points as Freed-Hardeman's attackers gave the Saints problems. Trailing 18-9, USF would put together a rally powered by service aces from
Riley Hungate and
Willow Mueller. The 7-3 spurt brought the Saints back to within five points at 21-16. FHU was able to string together three kills in response and halt the momentum, freezing St. Francis as the Lions went on to take the 25-18 second set.
Freed-Hardeman led for all but one rally in the third set, outhitting the Saints .207 to -.062. After USF fought back to get within one point at 5-4, FHU scored 11 of the next 12 points to push its lead to 16-5. The Lions matched their largest lead of the set at 20-9, however, the run was stopped after an FHU attacking error and an
Ann Simon service ace. The Saints failed to hold their momentum, however, allowing the Lions to complete the sweep with a 25-12 win.
As a team, the Saints posted a hitting percentage of .027. USF had 22 total kills with Anderson's six pacing the efforts.
Alyssa Teske led the team with seven assists, and Teske and
Maura Babuskow led the defense with nine digs each.
St. Francis vs. Missouri Baptist
In the first set, Missouri Baptist overpowered the Saints on the offensive end, authoring an eye-popping .739 attack percentage in the stanza. The Lions would score 18 points off kills and two off service aces in the 25-13 Set 1 USF loss.
St. Francis found itself playing from behind in the second frame as it fell into a 13-7 deficit. USF mistakes proved costly after giving MBU its next four points. The Saints were able to rally back from their hole thanks to three kills from Anderson and one from Hungate to bring the score within five points at 23-18. The Spartans kept their composure, however, as they held on to win 25-18.
The Saints wasted no time in taking a strong 5-1 lead in Set 3, but the Spartans would sneak their way back by benefiting from four St. Francis errors. The Saints held a 20-18 advantage late, but a three-point swing gave MBU its first lead of the night. Two key blocks gave Missouri Baptist two of its remaining four points of the set to solidify the final score at 25-23 in the Spartans favor.
Anderson collected eight kills in the match and led the team with a .286 attack percentage.
Kaylie Sippel authored nine assists, while
Sophie Knazur registered three blocks.
Up Next
St. Francis will return to the court on Saturday for Day 2 of the tournament. The Saints will face Brescia University (Ky.) at 2:30 pm, followed by a match against University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy at 4:30 pm.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
