Late rally earns Bees split at SAU Tri-Match
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Xavier (IL) (14-6, 12-3) | 22 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (10-17, 5-10) | 25 | 20 | 25 | 17 | 9 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Columbia (MO) (13-13) | 19 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (11-17) | 25 | 25 | 13 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
After leading a two-set lead evaporate, St. Ambrose bounced back in the fifth to close the SAU Tri-Match with a 25-19, 25-17, 13-25, 20-25, 15-10 victory over Columbia (Mo.) Saturday.
But it didn't come easy.
The Bees fell behind 9-3 in the decisive set before rallying. A Columbia serving error changed momentum. Three Cougar hitting errors, an ace from Alexa Orozco, and two kills apiece from Marta Barriguinha and Emily Hickerson made up a 10-0 run that gave SAU a 13-9 lead. Columbia got one point back but two more hitting errors allowed St. Ambrose to get the win.
Grace Beitzel paced the team with 17 kills. Barriguinha finished with 12. Ella Karmenzind put down eight kills, Hickerson finished with seven and Sofia Pabon chipped in with five.
Ines Marques was credited with 37 assists and registered a pair of aces, as did Barriguinha and Kennedy DeBaillie.
Beitzel (16) and DeBaillie (12) each picked up double-digit digs. Barriguinha narrowly missed double figures, finishing with nine digs. Larkin Calay had six.
The victory over the Columbia Cougars came on the heels of a 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-17, 15-9 loss to the Saint Xavier Cougars in a CCAC matchup that started the day.
After winning two of the first three sets, SAU watched SXU use a five-point run midway through the fourth set to extend the match.
In the fifth, it was a string of six straight points that gave the Cougars an 8-3 advantage. Two kills from Barriguinha and one from Pabon closed the gap to 8-6. The deficit remained two at 10-8 following a Beitzel kill. But Saint Xavier won the next two points, and after a Bee point, the Cougars wrapped things up by claiming the final three points.
Barriguinha had a team-best 16 kills. Beitzel finished with 13 and Olivia Johnson put down six.
Marques handed out 34 assists. DeBaillie and Orozco each came up with 18 digs. Rilee Talty had 15 and Calay added eight.
St. Ambrose, now 11-17 overall and 5-10 in CCAC play, will visit Mount Mary Tuesday.