AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's University Volleyball dropped its first Heartland Conference match of the season to Texas A&M-International, 3-1, on Thursday night.
 
Outside hitters MIKAYLA GRILL and KATIE MARTIN combined for 32 kills with Grill collecting a team-high 18 while hitting .277, and Martin adding 14. MADELYN PASHIBIN recorded an attacking percentage of .538 with eight kills and one block assist.
 
The loss drops the Hilltoppers drop to 3-7 overall and 1-1 in conference play. TAMU-International improves to 2-5 and 1-1.
 
"It was a tough loss. TAMU-International came out strong and executed a solid game plan," said head coach Mary DeJute. "We have been struggling with injuries and illness. That has caused us to have consistency issues. I felt that Pashibin and (Katie) Hendrix did a super job tonight, both offensively and defensively. Grill did a nice job on the outside. Having three freshman step up and play through some injuries shows a lot of promise."
 
In game one the score stayed close as St. Edward's rallied behind the attack of Martin and Grill. With the score tied at 11, the Dustdevils put together an 8-1 run, but a pair of kills from Grill pulled the Hilltoppers within three. However, a series of service and receiving errors gave TAMU-International the game, 25-20.
 
Set two opened with the home team powering to a 7-3 lead, forcing a Dustdevil timeout. The visitors would surge back, tying the game at 10, but three straight attacking errors on TAMU-International would give St. Edward's the advantage again. A strong, efficient Dustdevil attack evened the score at 18, and the Hilltoppers could not swing the momentum, falling 25-21.
 
Game three was a true battle as St. Edward's and TAMU-International pushed each other to the limit. With the score knotted at 20, it would be Martin and Grill again, leading the Toppers to a 24-23 lead. A rally from the Dustdevils would push the score to 26-25, but a timely kill from AVALON FRANTZ, errors from the opposition and a successful attack from Pashibin would push St. Edward's to a 32-30 victory.
 
A resilient effort from the Hilltoppers in game four would not be enough as an experience-laden Dustdevil squad would outlast St. Edward's, 25-18.
 
Coach DeJute and her team continue their home stand on Saturday as they play host to the Rattlers of St. Mary's. First serve is slated for 12 p.m. in the Recreation and Convocation Center. Live stats and video will be available at GoHilltoppers.com.