ROLLA, Mo. -- Missouri S&T Women's Volleyball defeated the McKendree Bearcats in four sets tonight, 25-20, 25-9, 13-25, 25-15.
Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West) recorded a career-high .323 hitting percentage, recording 14 kills along with 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
The first set was the most competitive of the night. The Bearcats hit .371 while the Miners hit .389, with S&T committing just one error during the set. A pair of early aces helped the Miners take a 6-2 lead, but the Bearcats were able to trim that to two at 8-6. Two more aces, this time by Decker, fueled a 4-0 S&T run, putting the Miners up 12-6. The Bearcats tried to claw their way back into the set, but the Miners fended them off, eventually using another 4-0 run create space late and take the set 25-20.
The Miners took an early lead again in set two, recording two blocks, two aces, and three kills to go ahead 7-1. The Miners continued to apply pressure, getting kills by Decker,
Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge), and
Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville) to build a nine-point lead. The Miners closed the set on an 11-2 run, with Decker and
Peyton Svendsen (Lincoln, NE/Lincoln Southeast) combining for three kills in to close the frame 25-9.
The Bearcats flipped the script in three, building a 10-2 lead. They utilized a 9-1 run to go ahead 19-5, receiving three kills from Reece Distler in that stretch. Wilke would contribute two kills and a block in response, leading a 6-1 run for S&T that would come up short as McKendree closed the frame 25-13.
The Miners got back on track in set four, taking the first five points of the set to build an early lead.
Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) put together a strong stretch halfway through the set, recording two kills and a block in six points to help the Miners extend their lead to 12-6. The Miners continued to surge ahead late, including a 5-1 scoring run that featured a trio of kills by Decker, before closing the set at 25-15 to take the match.
Mining the Numbers
- Decker had a career night, setting a new personal-best hitting percentage of .323. She led the Miners in both kills and digs, with 14 and 11, respectively, adding two aces and two blocks for a season-high 17.0 points.
- The team's .389 hitting percentage in first set is their highest in GLVC competition this year and their best since hitting .464 in set two against Harding on September 11th.
- Svendsen saw her first collegiate action near the end of set two, picking up a kill to help the Miners take the frame.
- Plunkett recorded five aces for the second time this season, tying a career-high for the freshman.
What's Next
S&T hosts the top team in the Great Lakes Valley Conference tomorrow with a match against Missouri – St. Louis at 3 p.m.
Sign up for our email blast at https://minerathletics.com/subscribe.aspx
Follow Miners Volleyball on X and Instagram at miners_wvb
