Bees even CCAC mark after 3-0 win over Trolls
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trinity Christian (IL) (2-10, 2-2) | 20 | 18 | 22 | 0 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (7-9, 2-2) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Behind seven blocks from Olivia Johnson and four from Grace Beitzel, St. Ambrose defeated Trinity Christian 25-20, 25-18, 25-22 Tuesday night in Lee Lohman Arena.
Johnson came up with two of the Bees' three solo blocks. Ines Marques, Emily Hickerson and Sofia Pabon were each also credited with multiple blocks to help SAU move to 7-9 overall and 2-2 in the CCAC.
The defensive effort forced the Trolls into a negative hitting percentage in each of the three sets. Trinity Christian (2-10, 2-2 CCAC) finished with 21 total kills and 27 hitting errors, for a -.073 mark.
It was a seven-point run in the opening set that helped the Bees get rolling. Trailing 7-3 early, Pabon put down three kills as part of the spurt to give SAU a 10-7 lead. The Bees led the rest of the way.
The second set saw St. Ambrose win six of the first seven points. Marques had two aces and Johnson put down a kill to stake SAU to that early 6-1 advantage. Trinity Christian closed to within 6-5 before St. Ambrose pulled away.
A Marta Barriguinha ace and a block from Johnson and Beitzel came as part of a four-point run that gave the Bees a 5-2 lead early in the third. The margin grew to six points at 17-11 before a late Troll run made things interesting late. But a Johnson kill wrapped up the match.
Beitzel led St. Ambrose with 11 kills. Barriguinha finished with nine and Johnson added five. Pabon (three) and Chloe Fabry (two) also added multiple kills.
Marques had a match-best 26 assists while adding three aces. Barriguinha also had three aces while Jamie Neumiller had two.
Olivia Hoskins paced the team with seven digs. Adriana Diaz and Kennedy DeBaillie picked up two digs apiece.
The Bees will visit Saint Xavier Thursday.