FORT SMITH, Ark. – The St. Edward's volleyball team dropped its second-straight Heartland Conference match as they fell to UA Fort Smith, 3-0, Saturday afternoon at the Stubblefield Center. The Lions bested the Hilltoppers, 25-7, 25-19, 25-9.
 
In the first set, St. Edward's (5-10, 3-4 HC) held close. Hilltopper freshman KARINA GONZALEZ tallied a kill to make it 5-3. UA Fort Smith (10-6, 7-0 HC) fought back by taking the next nine points to lead, 14-3. The Lions did not look back as they coasted to a 25-7 first-set victory.
 
In the second set, it was the Hilltoppers who came out hot, taking a 14-13 advantage midway through. TABITHA ELDER had the hot hand as she rattled off three kills, while MARY KOEHLER and ELISSA STANTON added two kills each. The Lions responded by taking seven of the next eight points to take control of the set. A service error by UA Fort Smith and another kill by Stanton brought the Hilltopper within three, 20-17, but four-straight points by the home team put the set out of reach.
 
The third set was all Lions as they raced out to an 11-1 lead. They would hit .455 as a team and take the final set, 25-9.
 
Koehler led the Hilltoppers with nine kills while Stanton finished with seven of her own. LOREN KELLY led the team with 17 assists and KELLY JIMENEZ registered nine digs.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Thursday when they host UT-Permian Basin. First-serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live video and stats will be available on the Hilltopper Athletic website.