SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The St. Edward's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to archrival St. Mary's Saturday afternoon at Bill Greehey Arena. The Hilltoppers were defeated, 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22 by the Rattlers in the first matchup of the Battle of the Saints.
 
St. Mary's (4-6, 2-1 HC) opened the first set on a 13-4 run. St. Edward's (3-7, 1-1 HC) could never recover and get its offense on track, hitting a -.024 as a team. The Rattlers would cruise to a 25-16 victory.
 
In the second set, both teams battled to a 16-16 tie before St. Mary's rattled off five-straight points to take a 21-16 lead. With the score 23-18, St. Edward's got kills by HANNAH RAUCH and ELISSA STANTON, plus a block from each of them, to cut the lead to 23-22. However, the Rattlers would win two of the last three points to win the set and take a 2-0 lead.
 
In set three, the two teams battled close once again. With the score tied 20-20, the Hilltoppers would win five of the last six points to take the set. MARY KOEHLER had two kills during the stretch and LOREN KELLY added a service ace.
 
The fourth set saw another close contest between the two squads with St. Mary's holding a narrow 22-21 lead. After a service error by the Hilltoppers gave the Rattlers a two-point advantage, however, a kill by KELLY JIMENEZ brought the visitors within 23-22. But it wasn't in the cards for St. Edward's as they committed two hitting errors to drop the set, 25-23, and the match.
 
Both Koehler and Stanton led the Hilltoppers with 10 kills each, and Koehler produced a double-double with 10 digs. Jimenez barely missed a double-double of her own, producing nine kills and 15 digs. JESSICA MORALES led the team with 20 digs, while Kelly led in assists with 27.
 
St. Edward's will be back in action Tuesday when they travel to take on Heartland Conference rival McMurry. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Abilene, Texas. Live stats will be available on the War Hawk Athletic Website.

As a member of NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference, St. Edward's University, has captured 49 conference titles, advanced to the NCAA Tournament 63 times and has produced 50 All-Americans and 45 Academic All-Americans since 1999.

St. Edward's University is recognized as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, and by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Located in Austin, Texas, with a network of partner universities around the world, St. Edward's is a diverse community that offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to inspire students with a global perspective. St. Edward's is a private, liberal arts, Catholic university in the Holy Cross tradition with more than 5,300 students.
 
For more information on St. Edward's University, visit http://www.stedwards.edu/athletics.