SAN ANGELO, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball kept finding ways back into the match, pulling even late in the second set and stringing together one final push in the third. Each time, DBU's front line closed the opening.
The Hilltoppers fell 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-19) to the Patriots in Saturday's Lone Star Conference Championship match at the Junell Center-Stephens Arena, completing a tournament run that carried fourth-seeded St. Edward's past Midwestern State and top-seeded Angelo State into the final.
St. Edward's moves to 19-11 and awaits its NCAA Tournament fate during Sunday's selection show at 9 p.m.
KELLI FORDING, GISELLE OJEDA, and KARA WYNN earned All-Tournament Team honors. Fording led all tournament participants with 54 kills, averaging 4.50 per set, and tied for the tournament lead with six aces. Ojeda collected a tournament-best 56 digs, including 31 in the five-set semifinal victory over Angelo State, while Wynn contributed 36 kills, averaging 3.60 per set.
Fording led the Hilltoppers in Saturday's final with 14 kills and eight digs, KAYLEN LEMBCKE added nine kills, and Wynn finished with eight. ALTHEA MORRIS distributed 32 assists and served three aces, finishing the tournament with 133 assists and a tournament-leading average of 11.08 per set.
The Patriots' block proved the difference. DBU finished with 11 blocks to St. Edward's three, holding the Hilltoppers to a .143 hitting percentage while producing 40 kills on .306 hitting. Avery Keck led the Patriots with 10 kills without an error on 12 swings, adding five blocks. Kalin Hubbard and Karly Wells also contributed five blocks apiece.
DBU established that presence early, using three consecutive blocks to stretch an 8-6 first-set lead to 11-6. Lembcke supplied four kills in the opening frame, but the Hilltoppers struggled to build sustained offense against a Patriots team that hit .440 with only two attack errors.
St. Edward's found more room in the second set, spreading 16 kills across an attack that hit .289. Fording delivered six kills in the frame, and Wynn added five, repeatedly providing an answer as the teams traded the lead.
Morris served an ace for a 7-5 advantage before DBU responded to move ahead 11-8. Lembcke stopped that run with a kill, and Wynn helped pull the Hilltoppers back even, later putting St. Edward's ahead 13-12 with another finish.
Neither team created much separation until Keck delivered three consecutive kills to give DBU a 19-16 lead. Again, St. Edward's worked its way back. Morris added another ace, and kills from Fording and Lembcke brought the Hilltoppers even at 20.
Lembcke tied it once more at 21, but a DBU block and service ace created a two-point gap. Wynn and GRACE MCDONALD each supplied a late kill to keep St. Edward's within reach before Reagan Fifer closed the set with a kill for the Patriots.
DBU carried that advantage into the third, turning a 5-5 tie into a 10-5 lead with a five-point run. The Patriots eventually extended the margin to 21-13.
St. Edward's answered with five consecutive points. Fording put down back-to-back kills, Morris served her third ace, and a DBU attack error and Fording solo block cut the deficit to 21-18.
Keck ended the run with a solo block. Another Patriots attack error brought St. Edward's within three at 22-19, but DBU scored the final three points to secure the championship and improve to 25-4.
McDonald finished with five kills and two blocks for St. Edward's. BEA ANGELES led the Hilltoppers with 10 digs, while Ojeda added eight and BELLA BRICENO contributed six.
The Hilltoppers finished their three-match tournament run with 164 kills and a tournament-leading 18 service aces. After defeating Midwestern State in four sets and Angelo State in five, St. Edward's now turns its attention to Sunday night, hoping its postseason continues with an NCAA Tournament berth.
