SAINT XAVIER TAKES 3-2 DECISION OVER RV ONU
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Xavier (6-1, 4-0) | 25 | 22 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 3 |
|
Olivet Nazarene (5-4, 3-2) | 22 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The RV Olivet Nazarene University women's volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller against the Cougars of Saint Xavier University on Tuesday night in McHie Arena.
The Cougars jumped on top early in the opening set marking 6 of the first 10 points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Anna McGovern. The Cougars took full control of the set in the middle when they rattled off 9 of the next 10 points to go up 22-12. Then, a service error by the Cougars and a kill from Katarina Nikolic sparked a 10-1 run which made the score, 24-22. The Cougars finally was awarded the set deciding point on a service error and won ,25-22. During that stretch, Nikolic and Sutton Bate each marked a pair of kills.
At the beginning of the second set, the Tigers took an early 6-4 lead as Nikolic, Bate, and Becca Bell each marked at least one kill. The middle of the set was contentious and back-and-forth until ONU grabbed the momentum towards the end. With the score, 19-17, a kill from Rachel Newport and a service ace by Janelle Skinner extended their lead to 23-17. The Cougars then tallied the next five points to make the score, 23-22. A bad set from Saint Xavier and a kill from Bate sealed the 25-22 win for the Tigers in the second set.
In the third set, The Tigers found themselves, again, taking a 6-4 lead at the beginning. Two service aces by Kelsey Todd highlighted the run for ONU. Just like the first set, the Cougars took full control towards the middle of the set. With the score deadlocked at 13, the Cougars went on an 8-0 run and took a 21-13 lead. After ONU marked the next two points, Saint Xavier scored four of the final five points and won the third set, 25-16, and took a 2-1 lead.
The Tigers played with a sense of urgency at the beginning of the fourth set. At the beginning, Bate, Nikolic, and Kaitlyn Kolb all tallied kills and Hadleigh Loitz sent over a service ace. After the Cougars cut the Tiger lead to 10-9, a pair of service aces by Halle Nicholas extended the Tiger lead to 14-9. From there, ONU grabbed the momentum. At 15-12, Nikolic and Bate each recorded a kill and Kaitlyn McMahan sent over an ace to make the score 18-12. The Tigers ended up scoring 7 of the final 11 points in the set, including the final three, to take the fourth set, 25-17, to force the deciding fifth set.
Saint Xavier took an early 6-4 lead. That ended up setting the tone for the majority of the set as they led by as much as six points.
The Tigers tried to close the gap on the Cougars but it was to little too late as Saint Xavier knocked off Olivet Nazarene, 15-10, and took the set and the match.
GAME VITALS
Final: First Set: SXU 25, RV ONU 22 | Second Set: RV ONU 25, SXU 22 | Third Set: SXU 25, RV ONU 16 | Fourth Set: RV ONU 25, SXU 17 | Fifth Set: SXU 15, RV ONU 10
Records: Saint Xavier: 6-1 (4-0 CCAC) | RV Olivet Nazarene: 5-4 (3-2 CCAC)
Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.
QUICK HITS
- McMahan turned in a career high 35 digs.
- Nikolic and Bate each totaled 13 kills.
- Skinner finished with 31 assists.
- Bate hit .407 to lead the Tigers.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The RV Tigers travel across the state-line to face the Crimson Wave of Calumet St. Joe on Tuesday, September 21st. The opening serve is set for 7 p.m. Please visit onutigers.com for the most updated information.
--ONU—
*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu
