Last night, the Bauman-Eberhardt Athletic Center was almost as hot as the Saint Louis University volleyball team.
The Billikens (2-2) were host to Murray State University (0-4) for a fast-paced, three-game matchup that the Bills dominated, winning in straight sets 30-21, 30-22 and 30-23.
“We played well,” said head coach Marilyn Nolen. “We had especially good performances in the first and third games tonight.”
In the first game, the Billikens grabbed the lead early, largely due to heavy hitting from junior outside hitter and co-captain Colleen Hunter. Hunter scored four of the first five points for the Billikens, giving the Bills an early 5-3 lead. Hunter was one of the heavy hitters for the Billikens for the evening, nailing 11 kills past the Racers defense.
Later in the first game, the rest of the Billikens offense came alive and became less reliant on Hunter’s efforts.
Sophomore setter Shannan Swiney added four kills throughout the match, and dished up 18 assists.
The Billikens offense continued to heat up with junior outside hitter Brooke Minniear’s six kills during the match.
In the second game, the Billikens relied on the entire offense to carry the momentum of the team.
“As we go along, we adjust,” Nolen said. “We got everyone into the match, and everyone did well.”
Senior Cristal Leonard fueled the offensive fire, taking on the role as the team’s leading hitter for the evening.
Leonard connected on eight out of 16 kill attempts, committing only one error, for an overall hitting percentage of .438.
“Cristal Leonard was our number one hitter for the night, and Colleen Hunter was our number two hitter, even though Colleen hit more balls down. Ember Knobeloch also hit very well tonight, especially after having stitches,” Nolen said.
Junior middle hitter Knobeloch also came up big for the Saint Louis offense. Knobeloch appeared in all three games, and chipped in five of the Billikens’ 38 kills for the night.
In the third and final game of the match, Murray State took the early lead for the first time of the matchup. Murray won the first point of the game, but the Bills answered back after a powerful serve from Leonard and offensive efforts from Minniear.
Throughout the third game, the Billikens did not hold more than a two-point lead over the Racers until the end of the game, when the Bills broke through with an outstanding service run from junior setter Beth Middendorf. At the end of Middendorf’s service, the Bills edged Murray 19-15.
The Billiken defense was forced to match the intensity of the offense in the third game in order to recover from Murray’s heavy hitting in the third game.
Defensive efforts were led largely by senior defensive specialist and co-captain Dani Apted, who led the team with eight digs.
Minniear and Middendorf also contributed with seven digs apiece, and Leonard and Hunter added five and six, respectively.
The final point of the match began with a serve from Middendorf that was returned by one of Murray State’s leading hitters, Lindy Northcutt.
Sophomore Alyson Merchant attempted the kill, but was blocked, and it was Hunter who finished off the point with the kill.
The Billikens showed the effects of great momentum gained last weekend at the Butler Invitational tournament in Indianapolis. The Bills dropped the first game of the tournament to Austin Peay 3-1, but came back to beat Delaware in three straight sets.
In the title match of the tournament, the Billikens faced host Butler and fell just short of the tournament crown, losing the match 3-2 with scores, 23-30, 30-23, 30-25, 28-30 and 15-11.
“I’m pleased with how we played at the Butler tournament, and we’re definitely looking forward to the tournament in Wisconsin this weekend,” Nolen said.
This weekend, the Bills will travel to Madison, Wisc., to face Ball State, Northern Iowa and host Wisconsin.
All three opposing teams reached the NCAA Tournament last year and are expected to provide excellent competition for the Billikens, who hope to keep last night’s fire going in Wisconsin.
