V-Hawks End Spartan Invitational with a Win

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Viterbo University Women's Volleyball team defeated Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.), receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 Coach's Poll, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 26-24) in their final game at the Missouri Baptist Spartan Invitational. The V-Hawks improve to 4-3 while the Blue Raiders fall to 3-4.

In the opening frame, early kills from Martina McGrath and Marissa Kleman put Viterbo up 9-5. Embry Burgess' ace helped close the gap, but Mariah Calkins had back to back kills to go back up 13-10. Alix Stoermer would tie the game at 14-14, but VU would build back their lead with help from a Grace Rohde-Calkins block. Stoermer tied the game yet again at 23-23, but Maddie Connor set up Jada Mitchell for a kill, and a Blue Raider error ended the set in Viterbo's favor 25-23.

The V-Hawks started the second set hot with back-to-back kills from Rohde and a Lauryn Sobasky ace to go up 5-0. McGrath's kill would give the V-Hawks an 11-6 lead before a Lindsey Wilson run put them up 13-12. LWU's largest lead game at 18-15 before a short Viterbo run capped by a Calkins kill put the V-Hawks up 19-18. Lindsey Wilson took one more lead at 20-19, but VU put the game away with a 6-2 run, capped by McGrath's game winning kill from Connor.

The Blue Raiders would be the first team to take a substantial lead in the third set, going up 11-8 on a Savanah Pippin kill, and would lead by as much as 15-10. McGrath would start the comeback with a kill and a Calkins-assisted block, and Grace Rohde would tie the game at 20-20. The Blue Raiders took a 24-21 lead off a VU error, but the V-Hawks would hold on game point, scoring the final five points until Calkins' kill ended the game at 26-24.

Calkins recorded a game-high 10 kills while hitting .562, and Kleman and Rohde each added eight. Sobasky led Viterbo with 24 assists and Connor had 11. Adrianna Reinhart had a game-high 17 digs to go with her six assists and two aces. Mitchell tied the game high of four block assists.

Lindsey Wilson was led by Alexis Smith's eight kills (.286), Camryn Rich's 28 assists and 10 digs, and Pippin's four block assists.

The V-Hawks return to action Friday, September 2, at 1 PM against #11 Concordia (Neb.) in North Sioux City, S.D. for the College of St. Mary Labor Day Classic.