Box Score East Central boxscore in PDF

The volleyball team rallied to defeat East Central 15-10 in the fifth set to post its first five-set victory since beating Kentucky Wesleyan 3-2 Oct. 20, 2012. The win over the host Tigers (21-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-10) keeps the Saints unbeaten at the South Central Volleyball Classic. Earlier Friday, Maryville downed Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
The host Tigers took the first two sets before the Saints put on a stirring rally to take the next two sets and force a decisive fifth set. Trailing 4-2 in the final set, Mikaela Lahm's kill sparked a quick 4-0 run for the Saints. Ali Lampen served an ace, and fellow freshman Grace Balcerak added a kill. The Maryville defense forced an ECU hitting error as the Saints took a 6-4 edge. The Saints clung to a narrow lead at 10-9 before two straight kills by Lahm gave the team a 12-9 advantage. After the Tigers scored a point to draw to 12-10, the Saints closed out the match with three straight points. ECU committed two errors, and Kelsey Warden's service ace closed out the victory.
 
Laura Welling tops the Saints with 13 kills, and Lahm was second with 12 kills and had four blocks. Demi Maniaci narrowly missed a double-double with 10 kills and nine digs. Lampen led the defensive charge with 23 digs, and Taryn Trubich directed the offense by handing out 37 assists.
 
The Saints improve to 4-3 on the season and return to the court Saturday for two more matches. Maryville faces Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene to close out the tournament.