MATCH INFORMATION
Score: St. Edward's 3, Newman 1 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-17)
Records: St. Edward's 5-8, 3-0 HC / Newman 12-6, 1-2 HC
Location: Fugate Gymnasium – Wichita, Kan.
SEU TOP PERFORMERS
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MIKAYLA PARKER dominated at the net on defense with 10 total blocks. She also added six kills and two assists.
-The duo of
KATIE MARTIN and
KATE HENDRIX each recorded 10 kills, while Hendrix also smashed two service aces.
-
AVALON FRANTZ and
JULIA HARTLEY were efficient at the setter position with 18 assists and 17 assists, respectively. Hartley also notched a double-double with 10 digs.
-Sophomore libero
MORGAN BECKHAM continued to shine as she ended the night with 24 digs. She ranks top-10 in the nation in digs per-set.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Back-to-back kills from Hendrix and
MADISON MCCLURG sparked a 5-1 run in set one to give SEU an 11-6 lead.
-Another 5-1 run behind kills from McClurg and
TABITHA ELDER, with a service ace from Beckham, helped give St. Edward's a 1-0 lead in the match.
-The Hilltoppers rallied from a 4-0 deficit in set two to tie the game at six on a Newman miscue.
-Parker kept the momentum rolling by sparking a 10-0 run in which she recorded one kill, a solo block, and two block assists.
-Attacking errors from the Jets allowed the Hilltoppers to cruise into intermission with a 2-0 lead.
-Frantz tied set three, 4-4 to bring the Hilltoppers back from trailing 0-4.
-Newman pieced together an eight-point lead, but Parker was big at the net again with four blocks, a kill, and an assist to pull SEU within two before Newman clinched the win to make it 2-1.
-With the Hilltoppers down by two, 5-7, in set four,
MIKAYLA GRILL aided a 4-0 run to give St Edward's a 10-7 lead.
-Martin helped SEU clinch the win with three straight kills to put St. Edward's ahead 17-11.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-The win over Newman marks St. Edward's first 3-0 start in Heartland Conference play since 2011.
-SEU now holds a 14-4 advantage in the all-time series against Newman and also breaks a two-game losing streak.
-St. Edward's has now held all but three teams to a hitting percentage under .200 and four teams under .100.
-The team's 14 blocks is the second match this season in which the Hilltoppers have recorded double-digit denials at the net.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH MARY DEJUTE
"Tonight was a super defensive effort. Our block was solid, and (Mikayla) Parker was outstanding at the net. Mo (Beckham) covered a ton of territory tonight too. With the new lineup, everyone had to step up and focus.
KATE HENDRIX did a super job in serve receive throughout the match, which allowed us to stay in system. She was also very smart on the offensive side of the ball with 10 kills. (Katie) Martin started the match strong offensively and ended the match strong as well. Overall, the team knew the game plan and stuck to it. They stayed together, even when things weren't going our way. I'm very proud of this team effort tonight."
UP NEXT
Coach DeJute and the Hilltoppers continue their month-long road trip on Friday against Arkansas Tech. First serve is set for 3 p.m. with live stats and audio available at GoHilltoppers.com. The team is also on Twitter and Facebook at @SEUVBall.
