HANCOCK, Mich. – The Mount Mary University volleyball team won both games in their doubleheader today at the Finlandia Invitational. It marks the first time in four seasons that the Blue Angels (4-10) won two matches in one day; previously Oct. 13, 2012.
The day started off with MMU taking on familiar foe Silver Lake (4-15). The Blue Angels battled for their 3-1 win over the Lakers right away. As the Blue Angels led 24-19, the Lakers pushed back to take the lead 25-24. MMU stormed back after a quick shot from Payton Hintz (So./Almond, Wis.) found the wood tying it up, then teammate Lauren Harris (So./Sheridan, Ill.) turned in a service ace to put the set to an end at 27-25.
MMU jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the second set, as Marissa Tun (Jr./Greenfield, Wis.) struck three straight service aces to boost the Blue Angels. The 25-13 winning set, continued its momentum to the beginning of the third frame for MMU.
In almost a mirror set, MMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead with two of those points coming of service aces by Tun. The Lakers, however, turned on the scoring and efficiency as they hit seven team kills, two team errors on 29 total attacks on their way to a 25-19 winning set.
MMU quickly stopped the rally in the fourth as they hit 11 team kills, six team errors on 38 total attacks for their biggest set of the match. Coupled with the seven errors from the Lakers, MMU took the final frame 25-14 and the match 3-1.
Tun led the attack from the service line with seven service aces. The junior was also active setting up her teammates as she led the game with 23 assists.
Teammates Hintz and Harris led the offensive strike with eight kills each. Sarah Amoroso (Jr./Wauwatosa, Wis.) had a pair of kills on four total attacks for the most efficient hitting percentage in the match.
Then the Blue Angels made school history in the day's finale. Not only did MMU hold the opposition to the fewest opponent kills (3), but the Blue Angels won a set by 20 for the first time in recorded history, in fact three times in the match 25-5, 25-5, 25-5.
MMU hit a positive hitting percentage in every set, all while never giving up more than three attack errors in a set. As efficient as the attack was, the big story for the second match was the attack from the Blue Angels service line.
MMU set the school record for service aces at 31. Payton Hintz set the school single match record with nine aces; previously held by Sarah Wishau ('15) with eight.
Teammates Alyssa Nelson (Jr./Rockford, Ill.) and Marissa Tun hit well from the line also, pitching in seven and six service aces respectively.
Melanie Coffey (Fr./Cedarburg, Wis.) led the attack from play with six kills, two errors on 11 total attacks on her most effective match in collegiate play.
Following the split at the Finlandia Invitational, the Blue Angels will have a few days off before hosting Moody Bible College Sat. Oct 8. The match at the Bloechl Center will begin at 1:00 pm and will have live video and stats available.
