SEARCY, Ark. -- Missouri S&T Women's Volleyball dropped a pair of matches today, falling to 7-4 on the season after losing to Southern Arkansas and Harding.
Adelyn Weiler (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Valle Catholic) set the program record for digs in a 3-set match with 25 against Southern Arkansas, then tied that record next match with another 25 digs later that day against Harding.
Southern Arkansas 3, Missouri S&T 0
Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West) contributed a pair of kills in the opening moments of the match to help keep the Miners even with the Muleriders early at 4-4. SAU surged ahead with a 4-0 lead, but the Miners answered with a 5-1 run to tie the set again. The teams continued to trade small scoring runs, with S&T going ahead 17-16 on a 4-0 run that featured two kills by
Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) and an ace from
Adelyn Weiler (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Valle Catholic). Tied at 21-all, the Muleriders claimed four of the final five points of the set to take the opening frame 25-22.
SAU took a small advantage out of the gate to start set two, but the Miners used a 4-0 run to go ahead 11-9, getting two kills and a block from Wilke during that stretch. The Muleriders drew even at 13-13 before retaking the lead at 16-13. Kills by Decker, Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton) and Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) helped the Miners trim the deficit to one at 19-18 before SAU rebuilt a four-point lead with a 3-0 run. Down 24-20, the Miners fended off three set points thanks to two more kills by Wilke before Southern Arkansas took the set 25-23.
A pair of kills by Ozdemir and another from Schoenberger helped S&T take a 9-4 advantage in the third set. After SAU cut the lead to one, the Miners surged ahead again with back-to-back blocks to increase their lead to four. The Muleriders chipped away at the S&T lead through the middle of the set, taking a 17-16 advantage after a 3-0 run. Decker fueled a 4-0 run with two aces and a kill, putting the Miners in front 21-18. A 5-1 run by SAU put the Muleriders right back in the thick of it, giving them a 23-22 advantage late. Ozdemir recorded two kills in the final points of the match before the Muleriders took the frame and the match with a service ace at 26-24.
Harding 3, Missouri S&T 0
Missouri S&T kept pace with Harding throughout the opening set, using a trio of blocks form Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville) to turn a 10-8 deficit into an 11-10 lead. The Miners later went ahead 16-14 after kills by Ozdemir and Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun), then answered a Harding run to tie the set at 18-18 on a kill by Schoenberger. S&T remained tied at 20-20 before the Bisons pulled away late to take the opening set 25-21.
Harding built an early 6-1 advantage in the second set, but the Miners quickly responded behind the serving of Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West). Decker recorded back-to-back aces during a 5-1 S&T run that trimmed the deficit to 8-7. After Harding built a strong lead, the Miners continued to battle, getting kills from Decker, Ozdemir and Zipprich to stay within striking distance through the middle of the set. Smith picked up a pair of kills late in the set before Harding closed the frame 25-17.
S&T opened the third set with a strong start, taking a 6-5 lead, getting contributions from six different Miners in that stretch. Harding answered with a 6-2 run to move in front 11-8, but the Miners responded with their own 5-0 surge, highlighted by two double blocks and kills by Ozdemir and Decker to give S&T a 13-11 lead. After Harding reclaimed the advantage, S&T again rallied, using kills from Decker and Zipprich to pull even at 18-18. Harding ended the set on a 7-1 run though, putting the match away 3-0.
Mining the Numbers
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Weiler's back-to-back 25-dig performances broke the school record for digs in a 3-set match. The previous mark of 23 was set by Jocelyn DeMotte vs Rockhurst in 2012.
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Chelsea Plunkett (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette) set a career-best for digs in a match with 16 against Harding.
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Ozdemir led the Miners in kills with 14 against SAU and 7 against Harding to end the day with 21.
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Smith had 9 blocks against Harding, tying the program record for block assists in a 3-set match. She ended the day with 13 total blocks.
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Kaitlyn Brady (Springdale, AR/Rogers) and Maggie Miller (Gretna, NE/Gretna) split the setting duties almost evenly, with Brady ending the day with 35 assists while Maggie ended with 32.
What's Next
S&T will host Truman State in their home opener next Friday, followed by Upper Iowa on Saturday.
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