YANKTON, S.D. – Give it credit for giving itself a chance to win.
But in the end, the College of Saint Mary volleyball team paid for a slow start in the form of a disappointing loss.
The Flames spotted Mount Marty the first two sets, then rallied to earn a match point before settling for a 25-23, 25-22, 23-25, 13-25, 16-14 loss to the Lancers Saturday in Great Plains Athletic Conference action at Cimpl Arena.
“We didn’t start playing until the third set, and in the GPAC it doesn’t matter where you are or who you’re playing, you can’t bury yourself and expect to win,” CSM Coach Rick Pruett said. “They wanted it more than we did today.”
The Lancers improved to 9-5 overall and 2-3 in the GPAC, while the Flames dropped to 11-7 and 2-3.
After falling behind by two sets, CSM led 24-20 in the third. On its fourth set point, Grace Werner registered a kill to send it to the fourth. The Flames dominated the fourth, setting up the winner-take-all fifth.
Neither team led by more than two points in the final set. Mady Welp and Liz Henrichson combined for a block to put CSM up 12-10. An attack error by the Lancers gave the Flames a match point leading 14-13, but the hosts rallied with kills by Caitlin Guenther, Julia Weber and Tevan Erickson to win the match.
“Not a very good performance overall by us,” Pruett said. “We had too many unforced errors and we couldn’t finish.”
Werner led the Flames with 14 kills, while Madisyn Havermann added 12 kills and a .333 hitting efficiency. Krissy Radicia led the defense with 25 digs, while Azaria Green had six solo blocks and one assist. Mount Marty outhit the Flames .161 to .148.
The Flames return to action on Sept. 28 at home with a 5 p.m. GPAC match against Waldorf.
*In the JV match, CSM defeated Mount Marty 18-25, 25-22, 16-14.
