DENTON, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball continues to gain momentum week by week, snowballing through three sets against Texas Woman's for a third consecutive sweep, defeating the Pioneers 25-20, 25-16, 25-12 to open its North Texas road trip.
The Hilltoppers paired a balanced attack with a defense that tightened around Texas Woman's each set, dropping the Pioneers' hitting percentage from .065 in the first to -.053 in the third in one of St. Edward's most complete performances of the season.
KAYLEN LEMBCKE continued her productive stretch with a match-high 11 kills on .333 hitting, adding four of the Hilltoppers' nine service aces. St. Edward's also recorded nine blocks and held a 65-42 advantage in digs while hitting .278. MIA CLAY and KELLI FORDING added nine kills each, and GRACE MCDONALD contributed seven without an error.
CARRINGTON JAIMES opened the match with a kill and a service ace, setting the tone for an evening in which the Hilltoppers never trailed. McDonald teamed with Clay for a block to complete a 4-0 start, then joined ALTHEA MORRIS for another block before a Lembcke ace stretched the advantage to 6-1.
Texas Woman's gradually worked its way back behind Trinity Blackwood and Teagan Hill, tying the opening set at 15 with a 3-0 run opened and punctuated by blocks from Teagan Hill and Trinity Blackwood. St. Edward's answered by turning its defensive stops into a string of kills, getting two from Fording and one apiece from Morris and Jaimes for a 19-15 lead.
Jaimes later supplied a solo block, and Lembcke followed with a kill to extend the advantage to 22-16. The Hilltoppers finished the opening set with 14 kills on .270 hitting, four blocks and 25 digs, absorbing the Pioneers' attacks and giving Morris opportunities to spread the offense.
Clay became the featured option in the second, delivering six kills on 12 swings without an error.
The Pioneers stayed close through the middle of the set, pulling within 12-11 before Jaimes answered with a kill to send Fording to the service line. Fording delivered two aces during a five-point run, with Clay and Lembcke adding kills to build a 17-11 lead.
St. Edward's separated again with Lembcke serving late in the set. McDonald started a six-point run with a kill, Clay added another, and the pair teamed for a block as the Hilltoppers stretched an 18-15 advantage to 24-15. Clay then closed the set with a kill off a BRENNA HEFFRON assist for the 25-16 win.
The Hilltoppers' control became overwhelming in the third.
A Clay-Jaimes block opened the set, and Lembcke delivered consecutive aces during a 6-1 start. McDonald put down three early kills without an error as St. Edward's pushed the lead to 10-2.
Fording's next turn at the service line put the match out of reach. The Hilltoppers rattled off nine consecutive points to turn a 13-7 advantage into a 22-7 lead, getting two kills each from Lembcke and Clay before Fording capped the run with an ace.
McDonald and ARIANA VAZQUEZ teamed for blocks on St. Edward's final two scoring plays, completing a closing set in which the Hilltoppers allowed only five kills while forcing seven attack errors.
Morris finished with 35 assists and eight digs, directing an offense that produced at least 13 kills and hit .270 or better in every set. Clay finished hitting .400, while McDonald hit .389 and led St. Edward's with five block assists. GISELLE OJEDA anchored the back row with 14 digs, Angeles added 13, and Fording contributed nine digs alongside her nine kills and three aces.
Blackwood led Texas Woman's with eight kills, but St. Edward's limited Mary Grace King to three kills on .000 hitting and Charlise Smith to two kills against four errors. The Pioneers finished with 24 kills and 21 errors for a .025 hitting percentage.
St. Edward's improves to 10-8 overall and 5-3 in Lone Star Conference play, while Texas Woman's falls to 5-12 and 2-5. The Hilltoppers continue their road trip Saturday against DBU.
