WICHITA FALLS, Texas — St. Edward's volleyball continues to show an ability to learn quickly from its early-season experiences, turning rematches into increasingly convincing results.
A week after sweeping UT Permian Basin in the Lone Star Conference opener to avenge an earlier five-set loss in Odessa, St. Edward's faced Midwestern State for the second time this season Friday. The Hilltoppers turned their narrow five-set victory from the first meeting into start-to-finish control in a 25-21, 25-23, 25-17 road sweep.
St. Edward's (7-6, 2-1 LSC) controlled the match even more decisively than the final margins indicated, finishing with a 47-33 advantage in kills and hitting .327 while holding Midwestern State to .157.
Early on, the Hilltoppers' biggest obstacle was largely self-inflicted. St. Edward's committed eight service errors in the opening set, helping Midwestern State stay within striking distance despite the Hilltoppers owning a 14-8 advantage in kills and outhitting the Mustangs .297 to .065. Once the errors from the service line subsided, the scoreboard increasingly reflected the disparity between the two attacks.
KAYLEN LEMBCKE and MIA CLAY led a balanced St. Edward's attack with 14 kills apiece, combining for just three errors on 52 swings. Lembcke hit .500, while Clay finished at .464 with only one error. KELLI FORDING added 12 kills to give the Hilltoppers three attackers in double figures.
ALTHEA MORRIS continued to provide the connection between them, distributing 42 assists on 47 kills while adding eight digs and three block assists. GISELLE OJEDA anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs, while BELLA BRICENO added 11.
The opening set featured 14 ties and four lead changes, but much of the back-and-forth came with St. Edward's giving points away from the service line. The Hilltoppers were otherwise firmly in control of play at the net.
Neither side led by more than two until St. Edward's broke a 14-14 tie with three consecutive points. A Midwestern State service error put the Hilltoppers ahead before Lembcke and CARRINGTON JAIMES combined for a block and Fording followed with an ace for a 17-14 advantage.
Midwestern State pulled within 19-17, but McDonald and Clay supplied kills during another St. Edward's push that stretched the lead to 23-18. Morris eventually finished the set herself with a kill for the 25-21 win. 222197
The Hilltoppers cleaned up the service line in the second set, cutting their errors from eight to three, but this time Midwestern State provided its strongest offensive response of the night.
Lembcke opened the frame with three kills among St. Edward's first four points, helping the Hilltoppers race to a 7-1 advantage. Midwestern State gradually erased the deficit behind an attack that hit .333 in the set, eventually turning the six-point hole into a 17-15 lead.
St. Edward's responded with an even higher level of offensive execution.
Fording terminated four times during the Hilltoppers' push back into the set, including consecutive kills to tie the score at 18. Midwestern State moved back in front 21-19, but Clay started a 3-0 response before Lembcke delivered on consecutive rallies to give St. Edward's a 22-21 advantage.
After the Mustangs tied the set, Lembcke struck again and Clay followed to reach set point. McDonald eventually finished the frame with a kill for a 25-23 victory and commanding 2-0 match lead.
St. Edward's produced 20 kills against only three attacking errors on 38 swings in the second, hitting .447 even as Midwestern State elevated its own attack to .333. Lembcke was nearly flawless with seven kills on eight attempts for an .875 hitting percentage. Fording added six kills at a .400 clip, Clay contributed five, and Morris distributed 17 assists.
By the third, the separation was unmistakable.
St. Edward's committed just one service error in the final frame and never trailed after scoring the opening point. The Hilltoppers built leads of 7-3 and 11-5 before Midwestern State made its final sustained push, closing within 11-9.
Clay answered with two kills during a 5-1 run to restore control at 16-10. The Mustangs made one last charge to get within 18-15 before Lembcke helped slam the door with three kills during a 6-1 run that pushed St. Edward's to match point at 24-16. Clay provided the final swing, putting away her fifth kill of the set to complete the sweep.
Clay hit .625 without an error in the third, while Lembcke added five kills on nine swings. St. Edward's held Midwestern State to 10 kills with seven errors on 41 attempts, dropping the Mustangs back to a .073 hitting percentage after their productive second set.
The final numbers illustrated the increasing control St. Edward's established as the match progressed. The Hilltoppers sided out at a 69-percent rate overall, including 80 percent in the opening set and 76 percent in the third, while holding Midwestern State below .100 hitting in two of the three frames.
St. Edward's continues its West Texas road trip Saturday against Lubbock Christian.
