Missouri S&T Athletics

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- Missouri S&T Women's Volleyball picked up one of its biggest wins of the season tonight, defeating the Lewis Flyers in four sets. The Flyers entered tonight's match undefeated in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) competition with a 4-0 record.

Aces from Maggie Miller (Gretna, NE/Gretna) and Chelsea Plunkett (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette) helped the Miners take a commanding 8-2 lead to start the match, but the Flyers responded with a scoring run that put them ahead 9-8, eventually stretching that lead to 16-12. S&T rallied with a 9-1 run, led by Selin Ozdemir's (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) four kills and solo block, to take a 21-17 advantage. The Flyers would draw even at 22-22, but Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West) claimed the opening frame for the Miners with a pair of kills to give S&T a 25-23 win.

Missouri S&T found itself in a four-point hole early in set two, trailing 11-7. A 7-2 run by the Miners briefly turned the tables, giving them a 14-13 lead. There were six more lead changes through the rest of the set as S&T and Lewis traded points, with the Miners eventually prevailing on a 4-1 run featuring kills from Decker and Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge).

The Flyers had their best hitting percentage of the night in set three, hitting .220. They took an 8-2 lead to start the set and maintained that six-point advantage until 16-10, when S&T scored four straight points to cut the deficit to two. The Flyers took seven of the next eight points, building an eight-point lead that allowed them to take the frame 25-18.

The Miners responded to Lewis' elevated level of play in set four, recording their best hitting percentage of the night at .207. They recorded seven kills and one ace during the opening points of the set, taking a 10-7 lead. Kills by Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton), along with a block assist and a kill, contributed to a 4-0 run later in the set that put the Miners up 17-12. The Flyers threatened to steal the set after an 8-2 run gave them a 20-19 lead, but an ace from Adelyn Weiler (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Valle Catholic) and four S&T kills helped the Miners close out the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth set.

Mining the Numbers

• Weiler set a school record for the third time this season, establishing a new standard for digs in a four-set match with 32.

• Miller led the team in assists with 28, a new personal best.

• Three Miners hit .250 or better: Zipprich (.286), Ozdemir (.250), and Smith (.250).

• Zipprich led the team in blocks with five and tied her career best for solo blocks in a match with two.