Box Score (Rolla, Mo.) – It wasn't pretty at times, but the Missouri S&T volleyball team was able to sweep past Maryville 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-19) on Friday night at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. The match featured 19 ties and 10 lead changes.

S&T (9-8, 5-3 GLVC) got off to good start to begin the match scoring the first three points and led for the most of the first half. The Miners held a 12-8 advantage after a double block by Krista Haslag (Linn, Mo./Helias ) and Alison Mueller (Bartelso, Ill./Mater Dei ) forcing the Saints (6-13, 1-7 GLVC) to call a timeout. After the timeout Maryville scored six straight to take its first lead of the set at 14-12.

S&T scored four of the next five points to regain the lead at 16-15 on a service ace by Caitlin Brocker (Crystal Lake, Ill./Marian Central ). The lead would be short lived though as the Saints used a 5-2 run taking a 20-18 advantage on a kill by Grace Balcerak. The Miners responded with three straight to take a one point cushion, but once again Maryville charged back with three straight of its own to move in front 23-21 and force S&T to take a timeout. Out of the timeout a service error and then back-to-back attack errors gave the Miners set point. Jackie Zellmer (Nixa, Mo./Nixa) ended the set with an ace to give S&T the 25-23 win.

The Saints came out of the gates fast to begin set two scoring eight of the first 10 points. The Miners began to chip away at the lead, but every time they'd get close Maryville would push the lead back to six.

S&T trailed 17-11 before going on a 6-1 run to close within 18-17 on a kill by Hayley Wright (Omaha, Neb./Millard West). Demi Maniaci put the Saints back in front by a pair with a kill, but the Miners scored the next three to take their first lead since early in the set at 20-19. The game went back-and-forth from there as the two sides traded points. Maryville broke a 22-all tie with a double block from Balcerak and Laura Welling. S&T countered with two straight points on a kill by Mueller and then Gracey Moon (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) blocked Welling to give the Miners set point. Balcerak tied it back up with a kill on the next swing, but another error by Welling and a kill by Claire Luther (St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran South) gave the set to S&T.

In the third set the Miners got out to an early lead and wouldn't look back as they led by as many as 10 in the stanza. S&T led 23-14 and appeared to be cruising towards the finish, but the Saints had something to say about that scoring five straight to cut the margin to four and forced the Miners to take a timeout. Out of the break Shelby Wagner (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit) recorded a kill to set up match point and Haslag finished it with her match-high 10^th kill.

As a team S&T finished with an attack percentage of .172 (37k/15e/128ta) and had nine total blocks. Haslag led all players in kills. Moon and Luther contributed seven kills apiece to the attack while Mueller and Wright had six each. Allie Plunk (Hurst, Texas/Birdville) dished out 24 assists and Cydney Denning (San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis ) had 19 digs.

Maryville had an attack percentage of .097 (39k/25e/144ta) for the match and was led by Maniaci with nine kills while Mikaela Lahm had eight. Julia Greaves added six kills off the bench. Hannah Seitter distributed 15 assists and Ali Lampen had a match best 28 digs.

The Miners host Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m.