Aurora, Ill. -Â The Maryville volleyball team won both matches on the opening day of the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover Tournament Friday in Aurora, Ill. The Saints defeated Malone 3-1 (26-24, 25-20, 24-26, 25-16) in the first match and downed Tiffin 3-2 (25-17, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12).Against Malone, Laura Welling and Ashley Selman both recorded 14 kills, and Selman notched a .360 hitting percentage. Maddie Timmermann added 10 kills and registered a .320 hitting percentage. Ali Lampen recorded 28 digs, while Taryn Trubich handed out 26 assists. The Saints managed a .232 hitting mark.
In the second match, the Saints took the first two sets before Tiffin won sets three and four by identical 25-21 scores to set up the decisive fifth set. The Saints trailed 9-5 before scoring three straight points to begin the rally. Tiffin had a hitting error then suffered a ball handling error. Jordan McKinley's kill drew the Saints to 9-8. Still down 11-9, the Saints finally charged ahead with a 5-0 burst. Selman had a solo block, and Welling pounded down a kill to tie matters up at 11-11. Welling recorded a solo block to push Maryville ahead, and her kill provided a 13-11 cushion. After a Tiffin timeout, Welling again delivered a kill to pull the Saints to match point. The Dragons finally scored but Grace Balcerak's kill gave the Saints the comeback victory. Welling and Hana Michael paced the Maryville offense with 12 kills apiece, while Balcerak added two kills. Selman led the defensive efforts with four solo blocks and finished with five total. Lampen notched 27 kills, and Trubich finished with 27 assists.
The Saints have won four straight non-conference matches and improved to 12-8 overall. Behind the two Saints wins, the GLVC recorded 21 triumphs in 24 matches against the GLIAC Friday. The Saints close out the tournament Saturday against Wayne State.
