AUSTIN – The St. Edward's Hilltoppers volleyball team fell short in a five-set thriller against the Edward Waters Tigers, opening the season 0-4 at the Hilltopper classic. 

"This weekend was tough. We went up against four very strong, physical teams. I know our record doesn't reflect the strides we made this weekend, but I am excited about where this team is going to be in a few weeks," St. Edward's head volleyball coach Stefanie Holler. "We saw some of our strengths and identified a few areas of growth and that is what we will be focusing on to prepare us for the beginning of conference play." 

Edward Waters 3, St. Edward's 2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 23-25)

For the third time in four matches, the St. Edward's Hilltoppers found themselves in a back-and-forth contest down the stretch of the first set. 

The Hilltoppers learned from previous mistakes, playing clean volleyball over the next three rallies. MAYA SMALLS and AUDREY QUESNEL made a big play, stuffing Edward Water's Saldy Amparo Smith at the net. 

SARAH KONOVODOFF followed with a service ace, finding a gap in the Tigers' back row, and first-year KYLIE LOQUERCIO delivered the first-set victory with a powerful swing off a cross-court set from ESTHER GRUSSING. 

The Tigers roared back in the second with their best set of the weekend, rounding out their big swings with a formidable block to jump out to a 14-9 lead. 

Smalls settled the Hilltoppers, finding different angles to attack the block on the outside and her quick first and second jump to neutralize and redirect some of the Tigers' biggest hits to cut the deficit to 15-13. Loquercio proved a nice complement to Smalls, providing some pop from the front and back row to pair with the latter's timing and craft. 

Edward Waters' Amparo Smith kept the Hilltoppers on their heels with a combination of devastating attacks and vicious jump serves, answering every St. Edward's run and tying the match with a kill that knocked a Hilltopper back to the floor for the 25-20 win. 

Both teams went point-for-point through the first half of the third set. 

AJANI HODGES and Loquercio set the tone in the third set with a tandem block of Fatima Ramirez, followed by a LOURDES GOMEZ service ace. LOURDES GOMEZ broke the Tigers' rhythm in the third set, making contributions on an ace, touch shot, cut shot across the net, and getting outside the block for another kill.  

For Edward Waters, Ramirez emerged as a threat opposite Amparo Smith, giving the Tigers some separation with a 14-11 lead. Finding a secondary hitter sent ripple effects through the rest of the rotation by opening new attack lanes and cascading into the momentum that pushed Edward Waters to a 22-15 lead. 

St. Edward's followed with a 5-1 run punctuated by Smalls lefty kill, forcing an Edward Waters' timeout. Amparo Smith squelched the run with another line-drive kill and Mercedes Diaz clinched the set with a service ace. 

Whether due to fatigue or tension, both teams traded mistakes in the fourth set until the midway when both attacks started to come into focus. 

HALLE SANDERS made two key defensive plays down the stretch, sending an Amparo Smith attack right back at her for a block and then teaming with Cole Cassidy to block Naomy Vergez Varona. Loquercio crushed a Grussing set to tie things at 19 and Smalls lofted a teardrop over the top of the Tigers' block for a kill. 

Then, the Hilltoppers' block forced Varona to the sideline, leaving nowhere to send the ball except into the antenna for a 23-20 lead. 

Edward Waters responded with a 3-1 run, forcing a St. Edward's timeout. Loquercio responded with another clutch play, putting down her second set-winner off a beautiful set from fellow first-year JORDAN CHAPMAN. 

The Tigers opened the third set on a 3-0 run and never looked back, keeping the Hilltoppers out of system and out of sorts for a 14-7 lead. The Hilltoppers climbed back in the mix with a 4-0 run, but Ramirez ended the match with a crushing shot to take the set 15-7 to clinch the win.

Smalls set career-highs with 21 kills and 24 points (four block assists and a solo block), putting down a blistering .408 hitting percentage. Loquercio added 12 kills and 11 digs. 

Harding 3, St. Edward's 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17)
In St. Edward's first match of the game, the Hilltoppers lost two close sets before Harding clinched with a less dramatic third set. 

The Hilltoppers outhit Harding in the first set with a 16-11 advantage in kills, hitting .282 to Harding's 0.132, but committed four service errors in a set they lost by two. 

St. Edward's continued to show more offensive pop in the second set, putting down 17 kills on a .233 clip, but also committed seven attack errors. Harding turned the tables in the third set, putting down 14 kills to St. Edward's nine. 

Loquercio led St. Edward's with 12 kills, Smalls had 11, and Gomez added 10. SARAH KONOVODOFF had 12 digs and six assists. Grussing added 26 assists. 

St. Edward's volleyball will travel to Oklahoma next weekend to compete in the Oklahoma Baptist University Fall Tournament from Friday, Sept. 2 through Saturday, Sept. 3.