After the Stanford win on Saturday, Sept. 6, the volleyball team staggered last weekend, dropping 2 of 3 at the Utah Classic.
The Bills fell to No. 15 Purdue and host Utah but defeated Utah State. The team is now 6-3 overall for the season.
“I knew after that big win that it would be tough,” head coach Anne Kordes said. “I have to give [Utah and Purdue] credit; they’re great teams. We aren’t playing top 25 volleyball right now. I know we can, but we have to play steady ball.”
During the tournament, junior setter Whitney Roth broke SLU’s all-time career assists record. She has 3,303 assists in her career.
“I’m really excited about [this accomplishment], but it’s a team sport, so I have to attribute some of this to my teammates,” Roth said. “It’s one more thing to add to a very special season. I’m honored, but this is a season of special accomplishments.”
The team fell in four games to Purdue in the opening match in Salt Lake City. Three Purdue players hit .270 or more in the match, better than all SLU hitters. The Boilermakers held junior Sammi McCloud, last week’s National Player of the Week, to nine kills.
Junior Whitney Behrens led SLU’s defense with a season-high 21 digs, which moves her into ninth place on the career chart with 1,062. Junior Whitney Roth narrowly missed a double-double with 44 assists and nine digs.
Utah used the home crowd to its advantage against SLU, winning 3-0 and handing the Billikens their second loss. The Bills scored the first point of the initial set on a block by Fonke but that was the only time SLU would hold the lead in the set. The final set included 14 ties and six lead changes as the Billikens and Utes forced seven extra points to decide the set.
SLU was unable to execute when it counted most and missed out on its one chance to take the set.
The Bills put together a formidable offense in its final match at the Utah Classic, defeating Utah State in four games.
The road gets no easier for the volleyball team as it travels to Pennsylvania this weekend for the Penn State Classic hosted by the top-ranked team in the country. The Billikens face New Hampshire tomorrow, Yale on Saturday, Sept. 20, and No. 1 Penn State to wrap up the tournament.
