The women’s volleyball team has dropped five straight matches in the past two weeks to make it a six-match losing streak.
Two weeks ago, the Billikens traveled to Northwestern University to play in the Wildcat Challenge. Last Friday, Saint Louis University opened up A-10 play in Cincinnati, Ohio against the Xavier Musketeers and followed with a game in Dayton, Ohio against the Flyers on Saturday. After two weeks on the road, SLU is in need of a home court advantage.
The Wildcat Classic featured Western Michigan, Northwestern and Delaware. SLU played a hard contest against the Broncos of WMU on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. but fell in three sets 15-25, 24-26, 26-28. Later that night, the Billikens faced the host team, Northwestern University, and dropped three sets 15-25, 15-25, 12-25.
The Bills went on to play the University of Delaware Blue Hens on Saturday, Sept. 15. After a 0-2 start in the tournament, SLU, despite losing the match, played their greatest match of the year. The Billikens fell behind the Hens 0-2, but climbed back and forced a fifth set, falling by two points in a five set finale of 21-25, 11-25, 25-21, 25-11, 15-17.
A-10 play opened on an easier note for SLU, claiming a quick 25-15 first set victory over the Musketeers. However, the Bills were unable to claim the match victory and fell 25-15, 20-25, 18-25, 15-25 in four sets. Grace Bonoma led the defense again with 25 digs, while Lauren Baumet and Lindsay Dinkelacker managed the offense with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Cassie Clarke registered 28 assists.
Saturday featured a hard slate for the Bills, playing the Flyers at Dayton. The Flyers, ranked 22nd nationally, swept the Billikens in three sets, going 25-14, 25-18, 25-11. Megan Gilbert and Carly Marcum had 8 and 6 kills, respectively, to lead the Billikens offense.
Gilbert owns the team’s third highest kill total on the year at 108. Clarke controls the assist column, collecting 470 on the year. Bonoma leads the team’s defense with 231 digs and leads the team at the service line with 15 aces, followed closely by Anna Church with 13.
The A-10 preseason rankings once again suggested a strong Dayton team and a strong Xavier squad, claiming the first and second place rankings. SLU, picked for the third spot, will need to make up some ground after a 0-2 start in A-10 play.
George Washington was selected for the fourth spot with Duquesne rounding out the top 5. VCU and Butler, newcomers to the A-10, finished right behind in sixth and seventh places. Rhode Island, Charlotte and Fordham rounded out the top 10 in the conference, with Temple and La Salle taking the last two spots.
One sleeper team this year, Temple University, has taken hold of the top spot this weekend with a 12-4 record overall and a 2-0 A-10 record. With Dayton and Xavier right behind Temple at 2-0 also, Duquesne holds the fourth spot at 1-0. SLU will need to recover fast if they want a shot at the title while holding a 0-2 record in conference.
The Billikens (5-10 and 0-2) look ahead to opening A-10 home play, hosting Duquesne (12-5 and 1-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Chaifetz Arena.
