AUSTIN – St. Edward's volleyball was in postseason form Friday night, hosting Lubbock Christian in an imperative Lone Star Conference match. The Hilltoppers pushed the Lady Chaps to the edge but were ultimately defeated in five sets, dropping the final set 15-13.
 
SEU played the best they have all season in the opening set, hitting .275 and leading the majority of the set. Late attack errors allowed LCU to steadily climb back in the set to win 25-23.
 
Defense took center stage in the second set as both teams kept hitters on their toes. SEU posted an attack percentage of .143 in the frame but were able to hold Lubbock Christian to .073 to win set two 25-20.
 
Sets three and four were mirror images of each other with LCU dominating the third set 25-15 and SEU controlling the fourth set 25-14.
 
Lubbock Christian lead 2-0 in the fifth set but once SEU evened the score 3-3, the teams traded points with neither team leading by more than one point until the Lady Chaps took advantage of back-to-back attack errors to squeak out the win.
 
St. Edward's had an astounding 92 digs in the narrow loss, led by SARAH KONOVODOFF who posted 27. KAITLYN KRAFKA added 23 digs and matched the effort offensively with a team-high 23 kills. EMILY TRAN had 62 assists in the loss and moves within just seven assists of 2000 in her career.
 
The Hilltoppers drop to 13-10 on the year and 8-8 in Lone Star Conference play. They close the regular season at home on Saturday, hosting #6 Angelo State at 1 pm.