By: Ryan Luttrell, Director of Athletic Communications
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 HAMMOND, IN -- The Miners opened the Midwest Region Crossover in dominant fashion Friday, earning sweeps over Lake Erie and Ursuline to go 2-0 on the day. S&T found its rhythm from the service line, notching back-to-back season highs with ten aces in each match.
Missouri S&T 3, Lake Erie 0
The Miners fell behind early in the opening set, but quickly flipped the momentum when Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln Way West) delivered four kills and two aces to tie things up at 11-all. From there, S&T caught fire — ripping off nine straight points highlighted by a trio of aces from Annie Arand (Washington, MO/St. Francis Borgia) to surge ahead 20-11. Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Hamilton Sussex) added a pair of late kills before Elise Mehaffy (Marion, IA/Marion) fittingly closed the set with an ace, securing the 25-16 win.
S&T spread the attack early in the second frame, with four different Miners recording kills to fuel a 9-3 start. Lake Erie closed the gap to three at 16-13, but a 6-2 S&T run featuring another Arand ace and two blocks pushed the lead back to seven. The Miners maintained control from there, taking the set 25-18 on a Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/TED Ankara Koleji) kill.
Lake Erie jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third, but Schoenberger steadied the Miners with three kills in the next five points to draw even. The teams traded blows for much of the set, with neither side leading by more than two until S&T grabbed its first lead at 15-14. From there, the Miners closed on a 9-4 run, sealing the sweep 25-20 as Decker and Ozdemir combined for seven kills in the final stretch.
Missouri S&T 3, Ursuline 0
After a slow start that saw the Miners trail 4-1, S&T roared back with a dominant 13-3 run to take a 14-7 advantage. Service aces from Ozdemir and Mehaffy extended the margin to ten, and a late 3-0 burst from Decker and Ozdemir put the set away 25-14.
The Miners rode that momentum into the second set, using a pair of early blocks from Avery Patton (Lathrop, MO/Truman) to build a 10-4 lead. Ursuline trimmed the deficit to two midway through, but back-to-back Decker kills helped S&T regain control. The Arrows battled back to tie things at 24-all after saving three set points, but the Miners held firm — taking the set 26-24 behind a double block from Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) and Schoenberger and a final kill from the latter.
Set three was a back-and-forth affair early, featuring seven ties in the first 14 points before S&T broke loose with a 12-2 run. Arand and Patton each delivered aces during the surge, while Schoenberger added a pair of kills to give S&T a commanding lead. Ursuline briefly rallied, closing to within five at 21-16, but the Miners slammed the door with a 25-16 finish — capped by a double block from Patton and Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) to complete the sweep.
The Miners' 20 service aces marked their highest total across consecutive matches since 2023, when they combined for 23 against Maryville and Lewis. Decker led the charge offensively with 24 kills on the day, while Ozdemir added 21 and hit an impressive .429. On the defensive side, Decker and Patton each posted career highs for blocks in a match, finishing with four and six, respectively.
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