FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Freshman outside hitter Leah Rose registered a career-high 17 kills, but it was not enough as the Spring Arbor University volleyball team dropped a four-set (19-25, 25-17, 11-25, 20-25) Crossroads League match to the University of Saint Francis on Friday night.
The two teams went back and forth to begin the match, battling to 8-8, before a 6-2 Saint Francis run would give the home team a lead it would not surrender. USF pushed its advantage to 16-12, but the Cougars would rally back to trim the deficit to two, 20-18, following consecutive kills from Rose. That's as close as SAU would get, however, as Saint Francis would take five of the next six points to claim the opening set.
The Cougars grabbed an early 8-3 lead in the second frame, but USF would rally back to erase the deficit and tie the score at 15-15. Spring Arbor would answer the charge with a 4-0 run – capped off with a kill from Rose – and never look back, closing out the set on a 10-2 run.
Spring Arbor looked to carry that momentum into the next set after taking a quick 4-2 lead. However, USF would tally 11 unanswered points en route to winning the pivotal third frame.
The fourth set saw 10 lead changes as SAU attempted to rally back and even the match at two sets apiece. Trailing 17-13, the Cougars would get within two following a kill from freshman Courtney Kyser and an ace from sophomore Rebekah Kujat. However, the home team would respond with 4-0 scoring spurt to take control. Spring Arbor made one last push, narrowing the gap to 23-19, but Saint Francis would hang on for the victory.
Rose added 14 digs to her 17 kills to record her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Laura Hardy and freshman Gabrielle Hilliard finished with 13 assists each. Senior Lyndsay Murray posted a 24 digs to pace the defense while Hilliard collected a season-best 17.
Spring Arbor will conclude the regular season when it hosts Goshen College on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
- Follow Cougar Nation -
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Live Stream
