Saint Francis Falls to Grace in Four
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grace (10-7, 3-2) | 21 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (4-13, 0-5) | 25 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 1 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) women's volleyball team hosted the Lancers from Grace College for a mid-week Crossroads League matchup in the Hutzell Athletic Center on Wednesday, September 17.
Grace came away with a 3-1 win on Wednesday night, with set scores of 25-21, 21-25, 7-25, 18-25.
Saint Francis started the match strong, opening with a 4-0 run in the first set to establish an early lead. SF maintained a narrow advantage until Grace made a comeback, tying the set at 19-19. The Cougars used four kills and a pair of attacking errors from the Lancers to close out the set with a 6-2 run to secure the 25-21 first set victory.
Set two saw a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. With the score tied at 20-20, Saint Francis regained the lead, but Grace equalized again at 21-21. The Lancers closed out the second set with a win to tie the match 1-1.
Grace hit .355 in set three as the Lancers carried momentum from the second set to win 25-7 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, after trailing 17-9, the Cougars staged a rally and cut the deficit to four points at 19-15. However, Grace held on to win the set and the match 3-1, improving their overall record to 10-7 and 3-2 in league play.
The Cougars recorded a total of 33 kills, with freshman Annabelle Sweigert leading the team with 10 kills. Kendal Frey contributed seven kills, while Kayla Gumbel and Madison Dhoore each added six. Teigen Fortkamp finished with 28 assists and two kills. Defensively, Hannah Sweeney and Katie Mills led in digs, with Sweeney recording 23 digs and Mills adding 10.
Up next, SF volleyball (4-13, 0-5 CL) will travel to Michigan to face No. 23 Spring Arbor University on Saturday, September 20 at 6:00 p.m.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette, and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,800 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
