For the second time this season, the Aquinas and Lawrence Tech volleyball teams played the full five sets, with the #23 Blue Devils remaining undefeated in WHAC play with the 3-2 victory in the Sturrus Center on Friday night (Oct. 25). Aquinas took the opening two sets, before LTU responded by winning each of the last three sets, including a 15-12 win in the pivotal fifth frame.
Overall, AQ fell by scores of 25-19, 25-18, 18-25, 21-25, and 12-15. In the first meeting between the teams on Sept. 27 in Southfield, the Saints led 2-1 before Lawrence Tech won the fourth set and took a 15-11 victory in the fifth.
The loss drops Aquinas to 11-12 overall and 8-6 in league play. Lawrence Tech remains unbeaten in WHAC action with a 14-0 league mark, while the Blue Devils are now 23-2 on the season.
Nearly all the final stats were extremely close, as LTU led in hitting percentage (.190 to .185), kills (64-58), and digs (110-105). Aquinas held slight edges in blocks (8-4) and aces (8-7). Each team took exactly 200 offensive attempts, with the Blue Devils committing 26 hitting errors and AQ recording 21 miscues.
AQ looked dominant in the opening two sets, winning 25-19 and 25-18. Lawrence Tech battled back to take control in set three and pull out a close set four, pushing the match to the fifth. It is the 12th time this season (in 23 matches) that the Saints have went to the fifth set.
LTU jumped out to a 6-3 advantage until Kali Crawford and Jackie Rozell notched back-to-back kills. The Saints tied the score at 7-7 and moved up 9-7 after another Crawford kill and a Blue Devil error. Lawrence Tech called a timeout and came back to score the next four points for an 11-9 lead.
Another kill from Crawford made it 11-10, but the Saints were unable to tie the score as LTU scored the next three points and finished the match with the 15-12 win.
Rozell tied for match-high honors with 18 kills, to go with four digs, two blocks, and an ace. Kylie Christensen posted 10 kills, four blocks, and two digs, while Payton Klein added nine kills, four blocks, four digs, and two aces.
Crawford was one kill shy of a triple-double, with 44 assists, 13 digs, and nine kills. Maddie Ingraham supplied eight kills. Karly Morris led all players with 29 digs and added 11 assists and two aces, while Meredith Kraus notched a new career-high with 27 digs, to go with four kills and two blocks.
Adrien Yondo was the fourth Saint in double-figures with 12 digs and Sam VanHouten added eight pickups. Olivia Martinelli served a pair of aces.
The Saints look to rebound against Rochester on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 26) at 1:00 p.m. in the Sturrus Center.
