CHICAGO – The Spring Arbor University volleyball team fell to William Penn University and Saint Xavier University on the final day of the Saint Xavier/Trinity Christian College Crossover Tournament on Saturday.
The Cougars came out slow against William Penn and were never able to find their rhythm. Despite battling hard in set two, the Statesmen defeated SAU 3-0 (25-16, 29-27, 25-18).
Sophomore Rebekah Kujat registered a team-high 11 kills in the match while freshman Leah Rose had seven. Sophomore Laura Hardy handed out 12 assists and freshman Gabrielle Hilliard added 10. Senior Lyndsay Murray led the defense with 14 digs while freshman Olivia Landis and Kujat recorded three blocks each.
In their final match of the day, the Cougars were downed by Saint Xavier in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-21).
Kujat paced the attack with 10 kills and Samantha Huber ended the afternoon with five. Hardy directed the offense with 14 assists. On the defensive end, Murray and Hilliard scooped up 12 digs apiece while Landis finished with six blocks.
"In transitioning to the Saint Xavier match, we spoke of the body of work we needed to do as a team and the adjustments in our mental toughness," said head coach Carol Gates. "The team responded and played a strong match against an offensive SXU program. Although the outcome was still not in our favor, the level at which we worked and our focus on controlling our side of the net proved this team has the ability to compete at a high level."
The Cougars will begin a stretch of five straight home matches when they host conference rival Indiana Wesleyan University on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.
- Cougar Nation -
