ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – Tonight at the Wild Athletic Center, the visiting Mount Mary University volleyball team lost to host Crown by a score of 3-1. The tight four set match moves the Strom to 4-25 and the Blue Angels to 2-17 with one match left to go in 2018.
Each set of the night was close, and the opening frame was no different. When the Strom took a quick 8-2 lead, the Blue Angels chipped away and cut the deficit to two points at 10-8. That repeated again when Crown went up 19-11, then the Blue Angels dashed back to make the score 19-17.
The Storm launched a quick 5-0 run to make the score 24-19, but the Blue Angels fired off four straight points off with the set on the line. A kill from Crown's Elizabeth Clark end the run and gave the Storm the first set 25-23.
MMU carried the momentum they gained at the end of the first set right into the second as they grabbed the early lead. Much like the Blue Angels in the first set, the Storm came right back each time their opponent stretched out the lead.
Crown surpassed MMU late in the second set with an extend run which resulted in a 21-16 lead for the Storm. With one of their most efficient sets of the night, the Blue Angels cranked out 11 team kills. With that efficiency the Blue Angels were able to go on a 9-2 run to uproot Crown for the 25-23 set victory.
The third set saw the same recipe as the first two sets. The teams continued to trade the lead back and forth. The Blue Angels attacked with their most potent offense of the night with 11 team kills on 49 kills. Crown also hit their best frame of the night with 16 kills on 53 team attacks.
MMU took a 21-17 lead late in the third set. The Storm came back with a 4-0 run to tie the match at 21. The teams traded points until 24-24, but two straight attack errors led to Crown taking the third set 26-24.
In the fourth and final set, the teams again traded points and leads nearly every other possession. With ten lead changes before getting to 18-18, the Storm went on a slight 3-0 run before MMU took a timeout. After the break, the Blue Angels ended the run with two points of their own, but Crown scored the final four points straight to take the match victory.
Lauren Harris (Sr./Sheridan, Ill.) led the Blue Angels with 15 kills on 37 attacks. Harris also led with 20 digs along with teammate Adrianna Nester (Jr./Anaheim, Calif.) who with the leading digs added eight kills of her own.
Alessa Nelson (Jr./Rockford, Ill.) got her team going with a team leading 25 assists. Marissa Tun (Sr./Greenfield, Wis.) helped from beyond the service line with a team high three service aces.
The Blue Angels return to the court tomorrow to finish their 2018 season against North Central University. MMU will travel to Minneapolis for tomorrow's 2:00 pm contest. Live stats and video can be found at MtMaryAthletics.com.
