Spires Go 2-0 in Day One of Phoenix Classic

Lebanon, Ten.- The University of Saint Mary Volleyball team took on Faulkner University and William and Carey on day one of the Phoenix Classic. The Spires beat the Eagles in three sets (25-19, 25-17,25-19) and the Crusaders (25-13, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19) to improve their record to 3-0 on the season.  

Game One

Saint Mary got out to an early 5-0 lead after capitalizing on attack errors by the Eagles. A kill by Madison Folsom later in the set put the Spires up 16-10, and a service ace from Ava Bojanski increased their lead to seven. A late run by Faulkner brought them within four points, but a kill from Rebecca Sprague and another ace gave the Spires enough momentum to win wet one 25-19. 

The Eagles kept it close in set two and were tied with the Spires midway through the set. Saint Mary went on a five-point run to take a commanding lead in the set. Folsom had the last three out of four kills to push the Spires past the Eagles to take a 2-0 lead. Saint Mart went on another extended run and took an 8-1 lead in set three. The Eagles crawled back into the game and came within two points of the Spires to make it 14-12. Late Kills by Devyn Ford and Rylee Kenitzer helped Saint Mary complete the sweep of the Eagles.

Game Two

The Spires started strong in the first set against William Carey and held were in the driver's seat after a kill from Ford made it 13-5. Saint Mary cruised to a 25-13 win that included three consecutive service aces from Ivory Howat. The Crusaders found a way to rebound in set two, with the lead changing three different times. A four-point run by the Spires that included kills from Shockley, Sprauge, and Ford seemed to give them momentum in the later part of the set, but William and Carey continued to battle and retook the lead, making it 17-16 in favor of the Crusaders. They carried that momentum and won their only set of the game by a score of 25-19. The Spires recovered in a decisive set three, winning 25-22. In set four, Saint Mary, with four straight points, Ford, Kenitzer, and Folsom gave USM their third win of the season.

Up Next 

The Spires will finish play in the Phoenix Classic tomorrow against Fisk at 10:30 a.m. and Cumberland at 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, Tennesse.