Women’s volleyball team stuck in losing streak

Hilltoppers won two of their 14 sets this weekend.

The St. Edward’s University volleyball team put up a fight at the Washburn Regional Crossover tournament this past Friday and Saturday but was unable to overcome a losing streak.

The Hilltoppers played a total of 14 sets within four matches, only winning two of the sets.

The first match was against Emporia State (11-2). After being tied 24-24, the Hilltoppers (7-8) lost 26-24 in their first set.

In the second set, the score was tied nine times before the Hilltoppers lost 25-22.

The final stand against Emporia State came at set three. The Hilltoppers at one point tied the set 13-13 but eventually lost 25-19.

Leading St. Edward’s during the match were junior Ashley Vander Hey with 14 digs and nine kills and junior Lindy Luleff and sophmore Ale’tra Ware with eight kills each.

In their second match, the Hilltoppers again lost in three sets to Washburn University (14-1). However, the match scores (25-19, 25-14, 25-15) were not as close as the first match.

The only time the Hilltoppers were ahead in this match was at the very beginning of the second set.

Leading the Hilltoppers in this match were Vander Hey and senior Pam Osborn with seven kills each. Sophomore, Michelle Hundt made 18 digs and senior Chelsea Barsamian made 24 assists.

In the first match of the second day of the tournament, the St. Edward’s volleyball team reached the fifth set against Truman State (15-2).

The Hilltoppers lost the first set 25-20 but recovered during the second with a five-point run, winning 25-18 against the Bulldogs.

St. Edward’s force carried into the third set to win 25-19.

After being down 4-0 during the fourth set, the Hilltoppers eventually caught up to the Bulldogs, tying the score at 8-8. Until the last point, with a loss of 25-22, St. Edward’s was never more than two points behind Truman.

Going into the fifth set, St. Edward’s looked to win their first match of the tournament, but after only being down 11-10 they lost 15-10 against the Bulldogs.

Luleff tallied 14 kills while Vander Hey recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore Michelle Hundt finished with 22 digs.

In the last match of the tournament, St. Edward”s took on Nebraska-Omaha (12-6). The Hilltoppers again took a loss in the three set game.

In the first set, the Hilltoppers were, at one point, down 10-5. They tried to tighten the score but were unable to, falling 25-19.

The Hilltoppers kept a close score at the beginning of the second set, but once they were down 10-7, they could not seem to come back, losing 25-15.

In the final set, St. Edward’s could not overcome Nebraska’s scoring streaks and lost 25-15.

The Hilltoppers are currently 3-1 and in second place in conference. Their next game will be away this Thursday against conference rival St. Mary’s University.