AUSTIN – After a 14-month hiatus due to the pandemic, the St. Edward's volleyball team took the court to open the 2021 spring season against Texas A&M-Kingsville at home Tuesday evening. SEU fell 26-28, 25-22, 22-25, 24-26 in a hard-fought contest.
 
It was clear early that it was going to be a tight match as the lead seesawed back and forth in the first set. The Hilltoppers made a late run, scoring three straight points to lead 23-21, but TAMUK responded with a run of their own to close the set 28-26.
 
The second set mirrored the first until a five-point Hilltopper run put SEU up 22-20 thanks to three kills from KAITLYN KRAFKA in the run. After two Javelina points St. Edward's got back to work and closed out the set win 25-22.
 
TAMU-Kingsville started the third set strong, going up 7-1. SEU was able to claw their way back in the game and eventually took the lead, 13-11. A well-placed Kingsville timeout stopped the run and refocused the Javelinas as they squeaked out the win 25-22.
 
It was a game of runs in the four set with each team leading by as many as four, but it was TAMUK that got the run they needed late, outscoring SEU 5-3 down the stretch to win the set 26-24 and game 3-1.
 
Krafka led SEU offensively with 12 kills on 37 attempts for a .216 attack percentage. CAROLINE SWAN added 11 kills while MAYA SMALLS and KATARINA MENDEZ contributed nine each as the Hilltoppers were held to a .152 attack percentage. EMILY TRAN had 23 assists with 11 digs while MCKINLEY SELLERS posted a team-high 16 digs.
 
The Hilltoppers open the season with a 0-1 record overall and 0-1 in the Lone Star Conference. They return to action on Wednesday for the second match of the series against Texas A&M-Kingsville. First serve is set for 6 pm.