Box Score
FORT SMITH, Ark. — St. Mary's Volleyball was looking to redeem itself against UA Fort Smith in the Heartland Conference Tournament opener but the Lions were able to pull through to win it in three sets.
The three-set match was aggressive and consisted of constant long volleys but it was the No. 1-seeded Lions which came out on top each set, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-17.
Watched by a crowd of nearly 500, the battle produced another stellar performance from libero
Victorria Martinez (Jr., Arlington, Texas), who entered the tournament ranked No. 4 in the nation in digs per set, as she totaled 30 digs to break into the St. Mary's three-set digs record at No. 2.
At 6.45 digs per set this season, Martinez is now the mark for the program's single-season digs per set record, totaling 639 digs in 99 sets played. Katy Migl formally held the record in the 2005 season at 5.58 digs per set.
Jenna Paul (So., Alvin, Texas) was powerful at the net, recording the night-high nine kills while Rachael Sccichitano (Fr., McKinney, Texas) led the night in assists with 20.
Kelsey Huber (Jr., San Antonio) recorded 20 assists along with six kills and
Lauren Holman (So., San Antonio) also recorded six kills.
St. Mary's challenged UAFS, wanting to tack on a victory after going 0-2 with the Lions during the regular season. But the Lions showed their prowess on the court with a squad that housed the Heartland Conference Player of the Year, Setter of the Year and Coach of the Year, holding the Rattlers to a .080 hitting percentage.
Attack errors deemed to be the pitfall for the Rattlers as they totaled 25 to the Lions' nine despite hedging the Lions in digs and total attacks. The Lions capitalized and the points added up, earning them the right to advance to the championship match.
The Rattlers ended their season 14-15 overall, claiming several honors including two Rattlers being named All-Conference in Martinez and Holman and winning five Heartland Conference Player of the Week awards.
