SAN ANGELO, Texas — Eighteen years, 15 consecutive losses, and a two-set deficit stood between St. Edward's volleyball and one of the biggest victories in program history. On Friday night, the Hilltoppers overcame them all.
Facing No. 3 Angelo State on its home court in the Lone Star Conference Tournament semifinals, St. Edward's rallied from two sets down to stun the Rambelles 20-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20, 16-14, ending an 18-year drought against the conference powerhouse and advancing to the LSC Tournament championship match.
The victory snapped Angelo State's 20-match winning streak, handed the Rambelles their first loss to a conference opponent this season, and gave the Hilltoppers (19-10) their first win over Angelo State since Sept. 12, 2008.
For a St. Edward's senior class that endured 19 five-set losses without a victory from 2023 through 2025, the manner of victory was every bit as meaningful as the opponent. After years of struggling to finish deciding sets, the Hilltoppers saved their biggest breakthrough for a fifth set against one of the nation's best teams.
KELLI FORDING delivered a career-high 25 kills on .313 hitting with three service aces, while KARA WYNN erupted for a career-high 20 kills on .286 hitting. The two combined for 45 of St. Edward's 65 kills, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the Hilltoppers' offense. Wynn also set a career high with 56 attacks and tied her career best with three block assists.
KAYLEN LEMBCKE added 12 kills, and Lone Star Conference Setter of the Year ALTHEA MORRIS distributed 49 assists with 14 digs. GISELLE OJEDA anchored the defense with a career-high 31 digs and six assists, while BEA ANGELES contributed 15 digs and four assists.
The victory was another remarkable chapter in a season that began with St. Edward's predicted to finish 11th in the LSC preseason poll. Under second-year head coach Jeremy Garcia, the Hilltoppers steadily developed into a conference contender, earning the tournament's fourth seed before defeating fifth-seeded Midwestern State in Thursday's quarterfinal.
Friday presented a different challenge against an Angelo State team that went undefeated through 17 conference matches and entered the semifinals with a 28-1 record.
The Rambelles demonstrated why they had been so difficult to beat, opening the match with 16 kills and holding St. Edward's to .069 hitting in a 25-20 first-set victory.
The Hilltoppers found more success offensively in the second, hitting .267 behind the work of Fording, Wynn, and Lembcke, but Angelo State was even more efficient at .290. The Rambelles took the set 25-21, putting St. Edward's one set away from elimination.
Rather than allowing the deficit to dictate the rest of the match, the Hilltoppers began to impose themselves defensively.
St. Edward's limited Angelo State to 10 kills against nine attack errors in the third set, holding the Rambelles to a .029 hitting percentage. The Hilltoppers continued to lean on Fording and Wynn while their back-row defense extended rallies and created additional opportunities for Morris to distribute the ball.
The result was a 25-22 victory that kept St. Edward's alive and began shifting the momentum away from the tournament hosts.
The Hilltoppers carried that defensive pressure into the fourth, but their offense also began to find another gear.
St. Edward's put down 17 kills against just four errors on 41 swings, hitting .317 while holding Angelo State to .154. Wynn and Fording continued to attack the Rambelles from the pins, and the Hilltoppers maintained their offensive rhythm even as Angelo State tried to regain control.
The teams traded points deep into the set before Wynn delivered a kill to give St. Edward's a 19-18 lead. Lembcke followed with a service ace, and after Angelo State answered, Wynn struck again to restore a two-point advantage.
An Angelo State attack error and another Fording kill extended the lead to 23-19. After the Rambelles scored once more, a service error gave St. Edward's set point, and Fording finished the fourth with another kill to force a deciding fifth set.
For the Hilltoppers, reaching the deciding set carried its own history.
St. Edward's had gone winless in 19 five-set matches from 2023 through 2025, a stretch of frustration that extended across much of the current senior class's career. The Hilltoppers finally ended that drought against Midwestern State in September, but Friday offered a far more daunting test against a team that had lost only once all season.
Angelo State opened the fifth with a kill and a service ace to take a 2-0 lead, but St. Edward's responded with a Lembcke kill and consecutive Wynn kills to move ahead 3-2.
Wynn added two more kills as the Hilltoppers built a 5-4 advantage, and Fording followed with consecutive kills during a three-point run that sent St. Edward's into the changeover leading 8-4.
Angelo State briefly interrupted the run, but Fording answered with another kill, extending the lead to 9-5. After an Ojeda service error, Fording struck again to make it 10-6.
The Rambelles responded with consecutive points, but Fording halted the momentum with another kill off an Ojeda assist. Angelo State narrowed the margin again before a service error gave St. Edward's a 12-9 lead.
The Hilltoppers had created separation, but the Rambelles refused to let the match slip away.
Sydney Thornton delivered a kill, and an attack error by Wynn brought Angelo State within 12-11. Lembcke responded with a kill to give St. Edward's a two-point cushion, but Julia Hopkins answered for the Rambelles.
Wynn then delivered her 20th kill to bring up match point at 14-12, putting St. Edward's one rally away from completing the upset.
Angelo State erased the first opportunity on another Hopkins kill, then tied the set at 14 when Fording's attack sailed out.
For a team that had spent much of the previous three seasons struggling to finish five-set matches, the moment carried familiar pressure. A four-point lead had disappeared, and the Hilltoppers were back on even terms with one of the nation's best teams.
This time, St. Edward's found a different ending.
Morris turned to GRACE MCDONALD, who delivered a kill to restore the advantage at 15-14 and give the Hilltoppers a third match point.
On the ensuing rally, Ojeda delivered an assist to Fording, who put away her career-high 25th kill to complete the comeback and send St. Edward's into the championship match.
The final two sets reflected the transformation of the Hilltoppers' offense as the match progressed. St. Edward's hit .317 in the fourth and .355 in the fifth, combining for 31 kills against seven errors over the final two sets.
Fording recorded six kills in the deciding set, while Wynn added five, giving the outside-hitting duo 11 of the Hilltoppers' 14 fifth-set kills. Their production allowed St. Edward's to hit .355 even as Angelo State found success offensively, hitting .300 in the fifth.
The Hilltoppers also received contributions beyond their two leading attackers. CARRINGTON JAIMES finished with five blocks, including one solo, while McDonald added three blocks and delivered the crucial kill that set up the final point.
St. Edward's finished with 89 digs, matching Angelo State's total, and held the Rambelles to .181 hitting for the match. The Hilltoppers recorded 65 kills against 22 errors on 198 attempts, hitting .217 overall.
Angelo State was led by Julia Hopkins with 15 kills, Alli Kirkpatrick with 14, and Thornton with 11. Allie Duitsman recorded 23 digs and three aces for the Rambelles, who fell to 28-2.
For St. Edward's, the victory represented more than an upset of a nationally ranked opponent.
The Hilltoppers had not defeated Angelo State since 2008, before any member of the current roster arrived on the Hilltop. They had not beaten the Rambelles since joining the Lone Star Conference in 2019, and the current senior class had experienced years of frustration in five-set matches before breaking through this season.
Now, a team picked 11th in the preseason poll has defeated the conference's previously unbeaten champion on its home floor, overcome a two-set deficit against the nation's No. 3 team, and earned an opportunity to play for the LSC Tournament championship.
After years of learning how to finish, the Hilltoppers are one victory away from finishing on top.
