KANSAS CITY, MO- The Miners 2019 season ended with a 3-0 loss to Rockhurst in the first round of the GLVC Championships. Today, S&T got their revenge as they took down the 10^th ranked Hawks 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-14, 25-18).

S&T and RU opened up play dead even looking at an 11-11 tie in the first set. Rockhurst would go on a mini run to push their lead out to 17-14 following a service error from the Miners. S&T fought their way back to tie the game up again at 19-19 and even went up 21-19 following back-to-back kills from Avery Reed (Ste. Genevieve, Mo./Ste. Genevieve).

The Miners got the final three points of the set off a Rockhurst error and a kill along with a service ace from Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State) to give S&T the 25-21 set one win.

Rockhurst took a close second set 25-23 after five hitting errors and four service errors.

With the score tied at 22-22 in the second, the Hawks would get a kill from Audrey Arand and an error from S&T to push their lead up to 24-22. Both teams would commit service errors on the final two points of the set to give the Hawks the 25-23 set two win and tie the match up at 1-1.

S&T jumped all over the Hawks in the third set; the Miners went on a block frenzy getting a solo block from Shelby Ply (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) and assisted blocks from Kiernan O'Boyle (Kansas City, Mo./St. Teresa's Academy), Hannah Merjil (Bakersfield, CA/Garces Memorial), and Jordan Burton (Olathe, Kansas/Olathe South Senior High). Those along with kills from Burton and O'Boyle gave the Miners an early 12-5 lead.

The Miners good fortunes didn't stop there; Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State) and Avery Reed (Ste. Genevieve, Mo./Ste. Genevieve) combined for seven more kills in the set and extend their lead out to as much as 11 before taking the 25-14 set three win off a service ace from Gannaway.

After trading points to open the fourth set, the Miners were able to pull away from the Hawks with back-to-back kills from Avery Reed (Ste. Genevieve, Mo./Ste. Genevieve) and Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State) and take a 12-8 lead. S&T would keep their lead through the set, never getting more than four points ahead of Rockhurst.

Kiernan O'Boyle (Kansas City, Mo./St. Teresa's Academy) would start the Miners drive to winning the fourth set with a kill to put S&T up 20-15. Both teams traded points until Hannah Merjil (Bakersfield, CA/Garces Memorial) sent a kill over the net to give the Miners set and match point. Jordan Burton (Olathe, Kansas/Olathe South Senior High) sent the Hawks packing on a kill from Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State) and gave the Miners the 25-18 set win and a 3-1 match win.

Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence Free State) could not be stopped today as she matched her career high of 21 kills while committing just one hitting error for a .541 average while Avery Reed (Ste. Genevieve, Mo./Ste. Genevieve) added in 15 kills and seven digs. Katarina Seres (Belgrade, Serbia/Ninth Gymnasium) dished out a game-high 26 assists while Gannaway and Seres led the team with 12 and 11 digs.

As a team, Missouri S&T (2-1, 2-1 GLVC) finished the match hitting .346 while putting down 56 kills. Their front line had a block party today recording 14 block assists and getting solo blocks from Jordan Burton (Olathe, Kansas/Olathe South Senior High), Shelby Ply (Rolla, Mo./Rolla), and Kiernan O'Boyle (Kansas City, Mo./St. Teresa's Academy).