Atchison, Kan.—

USM vs CRC:

The Spires rallied repeatedly but fell 3-1 to Crowley's Ridge (AR) this afternoon at Ralph Nolan Gymnasium. Crowley's Ridge secured the neutral-site victory by set scores of 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-20.

USM erased a 19-14 deficit in the opening set with six consecutive points. Two kills by Kayla Adeoye completed the run and put Saint Mary ahead 20-19, but the Pioneers responded with five straight points. Cross later delivered the set-ending kill for a 25-22 decision.

The Spires answered in the second set. Back-to-back kills from MJ Stephens helped turn the score in USM's favor during a three-point run, and consecutive aces by Stephens erased a 21-20 deficit, putting the momentum in our favor. With the set tied at 22, the Spires scored the final three points. Makenza Holly served an ace to create set point before an attack error closed the 25-22 win.

Another comeback kept the third set close after USM fell behind 6-1. A kill by Stephens eventually produced a 16-13 lead, and Adeoye struck for a late 20-19 advantage. CRC moved back in front, but Emma Murphy saved one set point with a kill that cut the margin to 24-23. Crowley's Ridge claimed the next rally to take the set.

In the fourth, USM used a five-point surge to recover from an 18-13 deficit. Addison Baker's service ace completed the rally and tied the set at 18, but the Pioneers answered with a 7-2 closing run. Cross supplied the match-ending kill in the 25-20 set.

Kaylee Kindall led Saint Mary with eight kills and a .333 attack percentage, while MJ Stephens added eight kills, three aces and four digs. Maddison Kruse finished with seven kills and hit .227. Addison Baker distributed 18 assists and served four aces, Kathryn VanSkiver added 17 assists and seven digs, and Dakotah Garcia paced the defense with 15 digs.

The Spires totaled 42 kills, 39 assists, 12 aces and 50 digs. Crowley's Ridge finished with 44 kills and held a 9.5-2 advantage in total blocks, providing the difference in a match that featured late ties and comeback rallies across all four sets.
 
USM vs BU:

In the final match of the Benedictine College Quad, USM fell 3-0 to Baker University, 25-19, 25-21, 25-23, closing out their opening weekend going 1-2. The Spires built early leads in the first and third sets and rallied to tie the second at 20, but the Wildcats answered each challenge to take the match 3-0.

The Spires opened the first set with a 6-3 advantage after a service ace by Kaylee Kindall completed a three-point run. Baker responded after falling behind 9-6, scoring five consecutive points to take an 11-9 lead. USM continued to battle, and a kill by MJ Stephens capped a three-point response that cut the deficit to 18-15. BU remained in front from there, with Stout supplying the set-ending kill for a 25-19 result.

The second set featured 10 ties and another sustained push from the Spires. A kill by Emma Murphy put Saint Mary ahead 8-7 during the back-and-forth opening stretch, but Baker later moved in front 15-10. The Spires erased that five-point deficit, drawing within 20-19 on a kill by Kindall before tying the score at 20. The Wildcats immediately regained the momentum with four straight points, then Murray closed the set with a kill at 25-21.

The Spires produced its strongest start in the third set, racing ahead 4-0 on a kill by Sammy Jo Kirk. Stephens later gave the Spires a 14-9 lead with a kill, and a block by Kindall and Kruse restored the five-point margin at 18-13. BU answered with six consecutive points, including three kills by Stout, to move ahead 19-18. The Spires recovered once more when Stephens put them in front 22-21, and Makenza Holly delivered a kill to tie the set at 23. Baker claimed the final two points, with Stout recording the match-ending kill.

Stephens led the Spires with nine kills, two aces and 12 points. Murphy added seven kills while hitting .231, and Holly finished with six kills and a .250 attack percentage. At the net, Kindall contributed nine block assists to help the Spires finish with 13 total blocks. Daniella Rivera-Perez paced the back-row defense with 16 digs, while VanSkiver had 14 assists, seven digs and two aces. Addison Baker added 11 assists.

Baker held a 46-30 advantage in kills and finished with a 76-55 edge in digs. The Spires countered with a 13-3 advantage in total blocks and served seven aces. Stout led BU with 18 kills on a .433 hitting percentage, including the decisive swings during the six-point third-set rally and the final point of the match.

Coming Up…

USM will take a brief pause at home for their annual Blue & White Scrimmage on Tuesday, August 25^th before hitting the road again at the Park University Tournament next weekend, Friday August 28^th through Saturday the 29^th.