ATLANTA, Ga. - The Saint Mary's volleyball team ended on the short side of a 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-12) final against host and No. 11 ranked Emory before falling in a 3-1 (23-25, 25-9, 25-20, 25-22) match against Wooster on Friday.

 

The Belles had a 5-1 run in the opening set against the No. 11 Eagles to knot the score at 8-8. Cali Allen and Shay Theile each had a kill and an ace during that run to keep Saint Mary's in the thick of things against host Emory. The Eagles, however, used a 12-2 run to turn a 10-9 score into a 22-11 lead as Emory went on to take the opening set by a 25-12 score. 

 

Saint Mary's continued to battle in the second set and used a block by Grace Braselton, a duo block by Braselton and Colleen McCarthy, and an ace by Remington Vincent to grab an 11-10 lead. McCarthy put away a kill for a 12-11 lead, and Mia Shields tied the score a few points at 13-13 with a kill. The Eagles used another big run to distance themselves on their way to a 25-15 win in the second set. 

Emory grabbed an early lead and never trailed in the third set. Saint Mary's cut the deficit to five points three times midway through the set, but a .500 hitting effort by the Eagles gave the hosts the three-set sweep with a 25-12 win in the third stanza.

 

Mia Shields had 10 kills to pace Saint Mary's. Colleen McCarthy added five kills and a team-high eight digs, and Cali Allen put away three kills and picked up five digs. Grace Braselton had three blocks in the match. Courtney Pelletier, Remington Vincent, and Karla Rigan each posted a service ace, and Vincent had a team-best 14 assists.

 

Against Wooster, Saint Mary's fought their way back from a deficit late in the opening set. The Scots clung onto a 19-15 lead after a three-point spurt. Saint Mary's capitalized on consecutive attack errors by Wooster but still trailed 21-18 as the Belles called a timeout. Colleen McCarthy put away back-to-back kills, and Remington Vincent served up a big ace to tie the score at 21-21. A service error gave the lead to the Scots, but another kill by McCarthy was followed by a Wooster attack error to push the Belles ahead 23-22. Wooster tied the score at 23-23 with a kill. Cali Allen put down a crucial kill, and Mia Shields and Shay Theile put the set away with a block.

 

Wooster tied the overall match at one set apiece with a decisive win in the second stanza. With the Belles ahead 4-2, the Scots rattled off eleven straight points and continued that momentum into what turned out to be an 18-1 run for a 19-5 lead. That deficit was too great to overcome for Saint Mary's as Wooster took the set by a 25-9 score.

 

The Belles gained an early lead and were able to maintain the upper hand against the Scots for much of the third set. With Saint Mary's ahead 15-12, Wooster turned the tables and momentum with a 5-0 run for a 17-15 lead. Colleen McCarthy put away a kill, and a service error by Wooster followed by a Cali Allen kill tied the score at 18-18. Another quick spurt by Wooster, however, saw the Scots gain a 23-18 lead late. Shay Theile and Sam Vorderer each put down a kill to keep the Belles alive at 23-20, but a service error and an attack error by Saint Mary's gave the Scots the 25-20 win.

 

The fourth set saw the two sides jockey for the lead. Wooster snagged an early 4-2 advantage, Saint Mary's responded by taking the lead at 5-4, and the Scots then used three consecutive points for a 7-5 edge. The sides were tied at 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10. Wooster regained the lead yet again, but Sam Vorderer put the Belles within a point with a kill at 12-11. Another kill by Vorderer a short while later saw the Belles stay close at 14-12, but Wooster gained a big advantage with a 6-1 run for a 20-13 lead. With their backs against the wall and facing down match-point at 24-17, Saint Mary's made a tremendous push to stay alive. A miscue by the Scots put Shay Theile behind the service line. The second-leading player on the team in aces, Theile served up three consecutive aces to push the score to 24-21 as Wooster called a timeout. Vorderer and Patricia Settlemier combined for a big block to make it 24-22, but a kill by the Scots stopped the comeback short at 25-22 in the four-set final.

 

Colleen McCarthy led the Belles with 13 kills in the match as the junior surpassed the 500-kill plateau for her career. McCarthy added 12 digs for a double-double and chipped in a block assist. Cali Allen tallied 11 kills and 14 digs, and Remington Vincent ahd 12 digs and 13 assists. Karla Rigan led the way with 18 assists while collecting eight digs. Emma Watford picked up nine digs, and Shay Theile had three aces and two block assists. Sam Vorderer put down five kills, and Mia Shields added six kills. 

 

The Belles (5-16) compete in day two of the Emory Classic on Saturday when they face Averett at 1:00 p.m.