SAINT XAVIER TOPS TIGERS 3-1

CHICAGO, Ill. — Saint Xavier (IL) defeated Olivet Nazarene (IL) 3-1 on Tuesday night at Shannon Center, with set scores of 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 25-13. The Tigers' attack was led by 55 kills, but Saint Xavier's superior .316 hitting percentage and 12 total blocks sealed their victory.

Skylar Dorsey facilitated the offense with 39 assists and contributed defensively with 15 digs. Naomi Monney-Hori led the team with 17 kills and matched that with 17 digs, showcasing her all-around effort. Breanna Lamie provided a strong defensive presence by recording 20 digs. Ayla Dorsey added 10 kills, maintaining a .320 hitting percentage, and contributed an ace.

The Tigers held a record of 11-22 after the match. The Cougars improved their overall record to 17-9 following the victory.

The opening set saw a tightly contested matchup between Olivet Nazarene and Saint Xavier, with both teams exchanging points early on. The Tigers showed resilience, with key kills from Brynn Nikonchuk and Analiese Fredin maintaining parity. Despite trailing, Olivet Nazarene managed a late rally to tie the score at 22-22, highlighted by a kill from Fredin assisted by Ayla Dorsey. However, Saint Xavier capitalized on a couple of errors from the Tigers to close out the set. The first set concluded with the Cougars taking a narrow 25-22 lead.

Olivet Nazarene opened the second set strongly with a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on a service error by Samantha Hovey and consecutive kills by Ayla Dorsey, both assisted by Skylar Dorsey. Despite some pushback from Saint Xavier, Monney-Hori maintained momentum with two key kills, one of which tied the score at 8-8. As the set progressed, the Tigers struggled to sustain their lead, with the Cougars taking advantage of attack errors to pull ahead. A late timeout by Olivet Nazarene at 19-22 attempted to shift the momentum, but Saint Xavier secured the set with a final score of 25-18.

The Tigers seized control in the third set with a decisive series of plays, highlighted by Monney-Hori's impactful performance, contributing multiple kills set up by Skylar Dorsey. The turning point came when Lamie served an ace that pushed Olivet Nazarene ahead 17-16, sparking a strong finish. Skylar Dorsey further bolstered the lead with consecutive service aces and a kill, closing out the set with the Tigers winning 25-17.

Olivet Nazarene began the fourth set with Ayla Dorsey scoring off a setup from Skylar Dorsey, giving them an early point. However, Saint Xavier quickly responded with a series of points, including a kill by Delaney Panozzo, creating a 5-1 lead. Despite efforts from Olivet Nazarene, including kills by Emma Edmonds and Brynn Nikonchuk, Saint Xavier maintained their momentum. Midway through the set, Monney-Hori scored multiple times, assisted by Skylar Dorsey, trying to close the gap. Nevertheless, the Cougars continued to extend their lead, with Carrington Smith contributing significantly. The Tigers called timeouts to regroup, but Saint Xavier finished the set 25-13. The game concluded with this set, resulting in a final score of 3-1 in favor of Saint Xavier.

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