Posted: Aug 16, 2025
Flames complete four-match sweep in Florida with pair of wins
College of Saint Mary (NE)
(4-0)
3
Saint Francis (Ind.)
(2-2)
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College of Saint Mary (NE) (4-0) | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (2-2) | 21 | 25 | 17 | 0 |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Rick Pruett couldn't have drawn up a better start to the volleyball season if someone had handed him a pad and paper on Friday morning.
The Flames completed a four-match sweep of their Florida trip on Saturday by defeating WVU Tech 25-20, 25-17, 25-16 in their opener, then powering past Saint Francis (Ind.) 25-21, 27-25, 25-17 in the Palm Beach Juniors Classic at the Student Life Center on the campus of Keiser University.
CSM (4-0) won all 12 sets they played in south Florida, getting outstanding performances across the board.
"It's a great start to the season,'' Pruett said. "I am very proud of these young ladies, not only from the winning aspect but how hard they play for each other and how strong their bond is! Every game, everyone contributed.''
Of the 11 schools who competed in the classic, CSM joined Spring Arbor (Mich.) and Taylor University (Ind.) as the only 4-0 teams, however the Flames were the only school not to drop a set.
In the opener against WVU Tech, freshman Mya Weber stole the show. The 5-foot-10 middle out of Bellevue East smacked a team-high 11 kills on only 21 attempts with no errors for a sparkling .524 efficiency. She also had a team-high two block assists.
"Mya was phenomenal and we really used a steady attack from everyone,'' Pruett said.
Caitlin McCormack, Azaria Green and Caylin Barnett added nine kills apiece, with each hitting at least .227. Kennedy Buck notched 21 assists and Kaitlyn Busby added 12. Digs leaders were Barnett (13), Elen Pruett (8), Krissy Radicia (7) and Busby (7).
Saint Francis entered the final match with a 2-1 record, but the Flames outfought the Cougars with some spirited play.
CSM led just 21-20 in the opener before a Weber kill and two Busby aces created some breathing room. Weber and Barnett combined on a block to end it.
The second set was the Flames' toughest of the tournament. At 24-all, Weber's kill gave the Flames a set point, but they missed the ensuing serve. The Cougars also missed a serve for a 26-25 Flames lead. A Saint Francis error gave CSM the point and a two-set lead.
Trailing 14-13 in the third, the Flames took charge by scoring eight of the next nine. Weber had two block assists and a kill during that run, while Barnett added a block assist and a kill and McCormack contributed a kill.
Soon the Flames were celebrating a perfect opening weekend.
"Saint Francis was the strongest team we faced, and the girls really stepped up their games and battled,'' Rick Pruett said. "Our blocking and defense were great, holding them to .034 hitting. Caitlin McCormack was great all weekend and again in this game.''
Barnett led another balanced attack with 10 kills, followed by Green (9), McCormack (7), Madalyn Welp (7) and Weber (6), who also notched a team-high seven block assists. Busby had 16 assists and Buck added 14, while Elen Pruett (12 digs), Busby (11) and Radicia (10) paced the defense.
"Our back row combination of Elen and Krissy are so good, and it's really hard to get a ball down on them," Coach Pruett said. "All weekend our setters did a really good job getting all their hitters involved, which will really pay off because at any given time we have a lot of players who can put the ball away!''
The Flames will return to action at the Hastings Classic on Saturday, with matches against Kansas Wesleyan and Ottawa.