MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Despite putting up strong sets, the Marian volleyball team came up short 3-0 against St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon. The Knights season comes to a close at the NAIA Opening Round, finishing with an overall 20-11 record.
St. Thomas jumped out to the 7-3 lead, but a kill by
Khori Dryden sparked a run for Marian as they took the 10-7 lead that was capped off by a
Madison Brooks kill on the feed from
Logan Smith. It was a back and forth battle between the two teams the remainder of the set, with neither team being able to grab a comfortable lead. The Bobcats were able to regain the lead after six consecutive points before
Ainsley Neighbors connected with
Gabby Fish, tying the score at 16-16. After Dryden pounded down her third kill of the set, the score favored Marian at 21-20. However, the hosts fired right back four straight points for set point. Dryden was able to keep the Knights alive for a little longer with her kill, but St. Thomas posted the kill to take set one 25-22.
The second set showed to be a similar story to the first set, as the two teams played point for point. Marian saw the largest lead of the set so far at 15-11, as they scored three consecutive points behind a kill from Fish and the service ace from Neighbors. St. Thomas answered back with a 4-0 run to even the score, before it was a point for point match yet again. The Knights found themselves in a good position, as they held the 23-21 advantage after another Neighbors' ace. However, the Bobcats did not back down as they rallied for four straight points to win 25-23.
With the 2-0 lead at hand, St. Thomas picked up where they left off as they managed to pull out in front 5-2 after a pair of Marian errors. The Knights found themselves back in it with the 6-6 tie before the Bobcats responded with three straight to go ahead 11-7.
Mikayla Christiansen smoked a ball from the assist of
Katie Hardegree to stop the St. Thomas momentum. The two teams went point for point until the Bobcats started to feel the home court advantage, propelling them to a 4-1 run and holding the 21-16 lead. Fish notched the kill to try and spark some life into her team, but the hosts were able to complete the sweep with a 25-17 win.
Christiansen and Dryden led the Knights with nine kills apiece, while Fish added eight.
Averi Lanman had a team-high four blocks, with Christiansen and Brooks adding two. Smith dished out 16 assists, with Neighbors adding seven.
Emma Lyons posted double digits in digs with 20.
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