The Saint Louis University volleyball team’s tough road loss to Duquesne last Friday ended their two-game winning streak.
Despite losing 3-0, the match was much closer than the score indicates; the final scores of the individual games were 30-25, 30-26 and 31-29.
In the first game of the match, the Billikens and Dukes each had 17 kills, but Duquesne had just two errors and hit over .400.
In the second game, both the Billikens and Dukes again each had 17 kills, but Duquesne committed just two errors and held on to the win.
In the final game of the match, the Billikens pushed Duquesne to its limits, but the Dukes scored the final two points of the game and pulled out the match victory.
“Any game that comes down to the final points and doesn’t go your way is very frustrating, especially when it is a big conference match,” sophomore Angela Powers said.
Powers led SLU with 15 kills, marking just the second time of the season that Tatyana Menshikova did not lead the team in kills.
Menshikova finished with 14 kills, and freshman Lauren Christman hit .615, matched with her nine kills.
Senior Lauren Boissevain had 43 assists and 13 digs to record a double-double, and senior Erin McClanahan had a match-high 18 digs.
The Billikens actually had more digs and blocks than the Dukes, but Duquesne had the advantage in aces, eight to four.
While the match was indeed frustrating, the Billikens took much from the loss and know what they need to do to get better.
“The good thing that comes from these close losses is we learn and can improve from each one,” Powers said. “Once we pick up our blocking and defensive efforts, we should be all set.”
The loss dropped the Billikens to 7-10, including 1-2 in the conference.
Although the season has been marred with inconsistency, the Billikens feel that their best play is yet to come.
“We are a very emotional team, so when we are fired up about the game, we are unstoppable,” Powers said. “We have had several people step up this year, including Erin McClanahan, who is playing a new position, and Tatyana [Menshikova], who has done a great job in the front row.”
Don’t expect these close losses to deter the Billikens from staying focused.
“We take what we need to work on from the lows and move on,” Powers said. “We had a very tough preseason schedule playing many top teams, which is only going to prepare us for when we get deeper in conference. The season has just begun, in our eyes.”
SLU will travel to the nation’s capital for a match with George Washington University this Friday.
The Billikens are looking at this game as the start of the turnaround to their season.
“The most important thing, since we travel so much, is just to come into every game prepared and energetic,” Powers said. “Only the top four teams make the conference tournament, and we are very confident that we will be one of them.”
