Terre Haute, Ind. --- The Blue Angels of Mount Mary University (0-8, 0-0) competed in day two of the Showdown in the Woods invitational hosted by St. Mary-of-the-Woods. They fell short in an aggressive 3-0 battle against Johnson University Royals (6-3, 0-0). In the second game of the day against the Culver-Stockton Wildcats (4-2, 0-0), they fell 3-0 in a nailbiter.  

Inside The Box Score Game 1:  

• Gabby Saucedo Salas (Flagstaff, Ariz.) led on the offensive end with nine kills while Andriana White (Erin, Tenn.) had six of her own.  

• Leading in the assist category, Ava Fincher (Owensboro, Ky.) dished out 19.  

• Abigail Manthey (Mukwonago, Wis.) scooped up 14 digs, and Saucedo-Salas added nine.     

Set One:  

The Royals started on top, taking the first two points. A kill from Rosalinda Palacios (Chicago, Ill.) and a service ace from Nevenah Dukic (Oak Creek, Wis.) brought the Blue Angels right back, 2-2. The Blue Angels grabbed their first lead after kills from Palacios and White to lead 4-3. Continuous back-and-forth action occurred all the way until the Royals scored five in a row, forcing the Blue Angels to take a timeout at 14-10. Following the timeout, Saucedo-Salas led the charge, securing a kill. The Royals took two more points before Saucedo-Salas found herself another kill, 16-12. The Royals took off once again, going on a 4-0 run, 20-12. The Blue Angels could not stop the 4-0 run by the Royals to end set one, 25-15.  

Set Two:  

Similar to set one, the Royals scored first. They went on a 4-1 run to start set two. Fighting back, the Blue Angels went on to score the next three points before the Royals could stop them, 5-3. More continuous back-and-forth action occurred before the Royals took off on another strong 3-0 run, 8-5. White and Saucedo-Salas scored kills from Fincher, bringing the score to 9-7. Johnson University went on another long stretch, bringing the score to 17-9. Saucedo-Salas slammed down another kill before the Royals went on yet another 3-0 run before a Blue Angel timeout, 20-10. Following the timeout, White saw daylight and started a streak for MMU. Another Saucedo-Salas and Palacios kill brought the Blue Angels down 20-14. The Royals finished off set two on top, 25-15.  

Set Three:  

Once again, the Royals secured the first point of the set. A kill from White stopped the Royals from going on another set-opening run. Continuous action and scores by both teams bring the score 7-4, in favor of the Royals. Fincher finds a gap and scores a service ace, but the Blue Angels are unable to get into a scoring rhythm. The Royals scored three in a row before making an error,11-7. Severson and White secured kills, 12-9. Johnson University began to capitalize on the Blue Angels while scoring eight in a row, forcing a Mount Mary timeout, 20-9. After the timeout, the Royals did not step off the gas and finished set three, 25-11.  

Inside The Box Score Game Two:  

• Saucedo-Salas contributed big with 16 kills. Behind her was White with 10.  

• Fincher set 25 assists.  

• Manthey and Fincher led in the digs category with 12 and 10, respectively.  

• White and Manthey added two service aces apiece.  

Set One:  

To start, the Blue Angels found themself down 3-0. The Blue Angels grabbed three points before a 4-0 Wildcat run occurred, 11-5. Fincher sniped a service ace as the Blue Angels were clawing back, 15-7. Continuous pressure from the Wildcats resulted in a plethora of points, 21-12. Manthey led the Blue Angels in a 3-0 run with a service ace. Unfortunately, it would not be enough to stop the Wildcats as they took set one, 25-15.  

Set Two:  

Starting set two, the Blue Angels have found their groove. They scored three quick points. Kills from Palacios, White, and Saucedo-Salas were big contributors to the 7-6 lead. Adding to the lead was a White ace. The Wildcats did not get flustered and scored another four points, bringing the score in favor of Culver-Stockton, 11-10. Three straight kills for Saucedo-Salas brought the lead back to Mount Mary, 13-12. Aggressive offensive effort from White and Saucedo-Salas tied up the Blue Angels at 17-17. Taking the lead at 18-17 came from none other than Saucedo-Salas. The Wildcats tied things back up after an ace that made the score 21-21. Back-and-forth kills from each side tied the intense battle at 24-24. Errors on both sides kept the fight going at 25-25. The Blue Angels took a late timeout in hopes of securing the second set win, but they were unable to do so, falling 27-25.  

Set Three:  

Saucedo-Salas put the Blue Angels on the board first in set three. Errors from both teams tied the score at 3-3. A kill by White and an ace by Manthey gave MMU the lead at 5-3. Back-and-forth battle continued until back-to-back Fincher kills for the Blue Angels to elevate their lead to 14-10. Fincher and White both tallied another kill, forcing the Wildcats to take a timeout, 16-10. The Wildcats snatched a few points after the timeout, but a kill and ace from White put the Blue Angels up, 19-14. A four-point run for the Wildcats is stopped by Saucedo-Salas at 20-18. Errors on each side of the net brought a 21-19 lead for MMU. Two kills from Culver-Stockton tied the score at 22-22. A Wildcat kill forced a Blue Angel timeout to talk things over. The Blue Angels scored after the timeout, tying the score once again at 23-23. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came out on top 25-23.   

The Blue Angels return to the Bloechl Center on Thursday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m. They will open Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play against the Calumet Crimson Wave. This matchup marks a historic moment, as Mount Mary Volleyball becomes the first Blue Angels team to compete in the CCAC following the university's transition to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). 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.