St. Edward's University Athletics

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — St. Edward's Volleyball opened the 2026 season with a pair of matches at the Bahama House Classic on Friday, falling in straight sets to No. 16 Missouri Western and Florida Southern.

Game 1: No. 16 Missouri Western 3, St. Edward's 0
25-17, 25-16, 25-18

St. Edward's opened the tournament against No. 16 Missouri Western, which used an efficient attack to earn a 25-17, 25-16, 25-18 victory.

Missouri Western created the first separation of the opening set with a 5-0 run, turning a 3-2 lead into an 8-3 advantage. St. Edward's later fought off four consecutive set points behind BELLA BRICENO's serve, getting kills from Madilyn Ziegler and KARA WYNN during a 5-0 response before the Griffons closed the set.

The Hilltoppers played their best offensive volleyball in the second, recording 13 kills. Wynn led the way with five on seven swings without an error, helping St. Edward's stay within a point at 8-7 before Missouri Western began to pull away.

St. Edward's fell behind 5-0 to begin the third but battled back within two at 13-11 on Ziegler's service ace. KAYLEN LEMBCKE later added a kill and an ace as the Hilltoppers closed within 16-14, but the Griffons answered with a 6-0 run to take control.

Lembcke and KELLI FORDING led St. Edward's with eight kills apiece, while Wynn added seven on a team-best .217 hitting percentage. ALTHEA MORRIS distributed 26 assists, GISELLE OJEDA collected 12 digs, and DELANEY GREGORY recorded two of the Hilltoppers' six service aces.

Missouri Western hit .346 for the match, committing only seven attacking errors while recording 11 blocks.

Game 2: Florida Southern 3, St. Edward's 0
25-19, 25-21, 25-15

St. Edward's returned to the court against Florida Southern and remained within striking distance through the first two sets before the Moccasins pulled away for a 25-19, 25-21, 25-15 victory.

The teams traded the lead throughout the beginning of the first set, with an ace from Morris tying the score at nine. Florida Southern eventually opened a 20-15 advantage, but the Hilltoppers answered with four consecutive points behind Ojeda's serve. LANDRY BAUGHMAN capped the run with a kill to bring St. Edward's within 20-19 before the Moccasins scored the final five points.

The Hilltoppers produced their strongest set of the day in the second, totaling 15 kills and hitting .189. St. Edward's stayed even with Florida Southern through five ties and remained close late, but the Moccasins used their presence at the net to take a two-set lead.

Florida Southern carried that momentum into the third, building an early advantage and holding St. Edward's to seven kills in the final frame.

Lembcke paced the Hilltoppers with six kills, while Fording and CARRINGTON JAIMES added five and four, respectively. Morris finished with 20 assists, 10 digs, two kills, an ace and two block assists. Ojeda contributed nine digs, four assists and an ace.

St. Edward's finishes the Bahama House Classic with two more matches Saturday. The Hilltoppers face Florida Tech at 8 a.m. Central before meeting tournament host Embry-Riddle at 1 p.m. Central.