Volleyball Fights Tough but Falls in Four to DBU

11/4/2023 5:49:00 PM

SAN ANTONIO — One of the easiest things to love about the 2023 version of St. Mary's University Volleyball is their never-say-die attitude. After losing a close first set and struggling in the second, the Rattlers rebounded to win the third against a strong DBU defense before eventually losing in four sets, 22-25, 16-25, 25-20, 13-25.
 
The Rattlers (11-15, 6-9 Lone Star Conference) were officially eliminated from postseason play with the loss to the Patriots (20-6, 12-2 Lone Star), who are still in the hunt for the regular season title.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Landri Withers (Stephenville, Texas) posted her seventh double-double of the season with a team-leading 11 kills and 13 digs. Fellow sophomore Alyssa Koehl (New Braunfels, Texas) was all over the court, leading the match with 22 digs. It is the ninth-straight match the libero has recorded double digits in digs and the seventh time she's topped the 20-dig milestone this season.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Laurene Robinson (Bedford, Texas) added nine kills and hit .318 (9-2-22) playing both left and right side for the Rattlers during the match. Sophomore middle blocker Dallasstar Johnson (San Antonio) led the team with three aces and three blocks and hit .389 (7-0-18) for the afternoon.
 
The teams traded blows in the first set with eight ties and five lead changes. Johnson served five straight with the Rattlers trailing 19-16 to regain the lead, but the Patriots scored the final three after a 22-22 tie.
 
In the second set, the Rattlers got stuck in a rotation where DBU rattled off five straight to build a 7-2 lead and StMU was never able to recover, falling 25-16.
 
Withers and junior opposite-side hitter Alicia Virthe (Orlando, Fla.) came on strong in the third set, combining for seven kills, while Koehl kept rallies going with nine digs as the Rattlers won 25-20. There were another eight ties and two lead changes in the set.
 
DBU overpowered the Rattlers in the fourth-and-deciding set, winning 25-13. The Patriots were led by Delaney Fuller with 17 kills on the day, while libero Daylee Doggett had 16 digs and both Abby Phillips and Shaylee Shore had four blocks each.
 
St. Mary's wraps up the 2023 season on Wednesday when they host Texas A&M Kingsville at 6 p.m. at the Bill Greehey Arena.