Milwaukee, Wis.--- Mount Mary University Blue Angels took the court for their home opening tournament – the Blue Angel Bash. The Blue Angels welcomed Mount Marty University, St. Mary-Woods, and UM-Dearborn to the Bloechl Center located on campus. On day one, the Blue Angels fought hard but ultimately were unable to surpass the Lancers and Pomeroys. 

Inside The Box Score Game 1:  

• Gabby Saucedo Salas (Flagstaff, Ariz.) led on the offensive end with 13 kills. 
• Ava Fincher (Owensboro, Ky.) dished out 31 assists in the match. 
• Abigail Manthey (Mukwonago, Wis) led on the defensive end, picking up 15 digs. 

The Blue Angels and Lancers came out hot and didn't let up the pace. In a back-and-forth kills battle, the score tied up for the first time at 23-23 from a kill fired off the hand of Saucedo Salas. However, the battle did not end there as the Lancers finally came out on top 29-27.  

In set two, the Lancers still had their gas while the Blue Angels struggled to find theirs. The Lancers went on a 12-0 run before Andriana White (Erin, Tenn.) put a stop to the run with a huge kill. Unfortunately, the Blue Angels found their groove, but it was too late to catch the Lancers. 

Mount Mary was able to stay on top of the Lancers for almost the entirety of set three. Big digs by Nevenah Dukic (Oak Creek, Wis.) and Manthey kept the Blue Angels fighting for the set. Blue Angels came up on top 25-20. 

It was now comeback time for the Blue Angels as they found themselves competing in a 3-1 deficit match. The Lancers got hot and fed their big hitters, who found the floor on the Blue Angel side. Although the heart and hustle were there, the Blue Angels fell 25-17. 

Inside The Box Score Game 2:  

• Manthey secured 10 digs. 
• Fincher dished out 15 assists.
• Rosalinda Palacios (Chicago, Ill.) led at the net, totaling five kills. 

The Blue Angels matched up against St. Mary-Woods in their second matchup of the Blue Angel Bash. The Pomeroys laid out a service ace to start set one. The Pomeroy's did not stop there and went on a 5-0 run, bringing the score to 9-2. Big kills by Palacios brought the Blue Angels back into the mix down four. The Pomeroys grabbed numerous back-to-back kills and came out on top 25-14. 

Set two was no different for the Pomeroys. They found themselves in another 5-0 run late in the set, which made the ultimate difference. St. Mary-Woods came out with a 25-12 win.  

As set three began, Delnora Darden (Hendersonville, Tenn.) got the Blue Angels on the board with a kill from Fincher. The Pomeroys were not going to go down easily, but White, Saucedo Salas, and Palacios continued to be aggressive at the net. Mount Mary began sneaking back and brought the score down one at 18-17. However, the Pomeroys took off and finished the match 25-19. 

The Blue Angels will be back in action today, August 23rd, for Day Two of the Blue Angel Bash. They will face off against UM-Dearborn at 9:30 a.m. and follow with a rematch against Mount Marty at 12:00 p.m. Coverage for all things MMU volleyball can be found at mtmaryathletics.com. Additional coverage can be found on Instagram @mountmary.vb and Facebook @Mount Mary University Women's Volleyball.