AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's University Volleyball (8-20, 6-10) sent its seniors out in winning fashion on Saturday and closed the season with a four-set victory over Dallas Baptist (14-11, 9-7) in the Recreation and Convocation Center.
 
Stellar performances from several underclassmen helped send seniors HANNAH RAUCH and JESSICA BUSHONG out in style. A trio of Hilltoppers registered double-digit kills with KATIE MARTIN and TABITHA ELDER hitting their way to 12 kills apiece. MADELYN PASHIBIN added 11 kills of her own and JULIA HARTLEY dished out 22 assists with 12 digs for season-closing double-double. A 15-assist, 12-dig performance from JACLYN BILLIE rounded out dual double-double performances while MORGAN BECKHAM provided 22 digs with six block assists and one solo block from MIKAYLA PARKER.
 
"We always seem to play really well against Dallas Baptist. They were very scrappy, but we stayed in it," said head coach Mary DeJute. "Our defense was very solid and I am thrilled with the way our kids handled themselves at the net. It is exciting to see how we played today and it makes things look bright for the future. We had a lot of youth out there this year and I am thrilled with what I am seeing and proud of this team."
 
Game one set the tone for a very evenly matched competition. Both teams traded points back and forth all the way to a 20-20 tie. However the visiting Patriots would edge the Hilltoppers 25-21 with a slight advantage in attacking percentage, .237-.205.
 
St. Edward's would take the attacking advantage in set two outhitting Dallas Baptist by just .004. That slight margin would make all the difference as kills from Pashibin and Martin pushed the home team to a 25-23 win to even the match at one set each.
 
Momentum would stay with coach DeJute and her team in game three as the Toppers took a 2-1 advantage with a 25-21 win; capped off by a triple block from Rauch, Elder, and Pashibin. A similar finish in game four came in the form of a double block from Parker and Bushong, clinching a 25-22 victory and the match.
 
St. Edward's closes its season with an 8-20 record overall and a 6-10 finish in the conference, missing the Heartland Tournament. However coach DeJute returns 14 of her 16 student-athletes and a one-game winning streak headed into next season.
 
Fans can continue to follow the team on Twitter and Facebook while also keeping up with all the Hilltopper news at GoHilltoppers.com.