Flames 'stunned' after upset in opening round
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (20-14) | 31 | 30 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
|
College of Saint Mary (NE) (22-9) | 29 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 12 | 2 |
OMAHA, Neb. – "Stunned and heartbroken."
Those were the words College of Saint Mary Volleyball Coach Rick Pruett used to describe CSM's loss Saturday in the opening round of the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament.
The Flames were upset 3-2 by St. Ambrose University by scores of 31-29, 30-28, 18-25, 20-25 and 15-12.
CSM entered the match with a 22-8 record, was seeded 16th in the country and earned the right to host the Fighting Bees. But the Flames had lost three of their last four matches heading into Saturday. St. Ambrose, on the other hand, entered with a 19-14 record, but was on a seven-match win streak.
The first two sets were marathons and the Bees won both.
"Those first two sets were so crucial," Pruett said. "We had set point multiple times in both sets and we couldn't make the play to finish it. But, we didn't give up. We battled. I really thought after we won the third and fourth sets that we were in a pretty good situation."
But the Flames started the fifth set slow and trailed 10-4 early on. CSM made a run to get back in it but the Bees pulled out the win.
"On paper it looks like we won," Pruett said. "We had more kills, we had a better hitting efficiency, we had more blocks … but we just couldn't get the big point when we needed it."
Lexie Langley led the Flames with what Coach Pruett said was "possibly the best match of her career" with a match-high 22 kills. Teammate Azaria Green had 13 kills, Kamryn Willman added 12 and Grace Werner finished with 10. Setter Lauren Anderson had a team-high 44 assists and Miranda Ring chipped in with 20. Libero Rachel Cushing tallied 24 digs, while Krissy Radicia had 12.
"I thought Morgan Ramsey came in and was a huge spark," Pruett said. "She had eight kills in just three sets."
The loss was tough on the Flames whose goal was to make it to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa.
"I'm just sad," Pruett said. "It's tough. But I'm thankful for the seniors on this team that really lifted our program while they were here."
The Flames finish with a 22-9 overall record.