SAN ANGELO, Texas — St. Mary's University Volleyball was swept in the Lone Star Conference opener at No. 20 Angelo State, 25-22, 25-13, 25-18 on Friday night.
Senior libero
Alyssa Koehl (New Braunfels, Texas) led the match with 19 digs, moving her into third-place all-time at St. Mary's with 1,682. She passes Valerie Teter, who recorded 1,677 in her playing days (2005-08).
Fellow senior
Landri Withers (Stephenville, Texas) posted the 32nd double-double of her career with a team-high 10 kills and 13 digs.
Neither team was able to establish a blocking game in the match, as St. Mary's collected one (by Withers and senior
Dallasstar Johnson from San Antonio) and Angelo State totaled three. The Rambelles held the Rattlers to a season-low .057 hitting percentage, while StMU held ASU below .200 in two of the three sets.
The first set was tied at 10-10 for the fourth time when the Rambelles went on a 5-1 run, forcing a Rattlers timeout. ASU continued to lead, building a 22-17 advantage before the Rattlers scored four straight – including an ace serve by Withers – for the 22-21 tally, but ASU scored four of the final five points for the 25-22 win. Withers had a team-high three kills, while Koehl collected eight digs.
The second set was tied at every point from one to five before the 'Belles recorded four-straight kills to force a timeout at 9-5. Withers stopped the run with a cross-court kill and
Haleigh Wilks (Salado, Texas) followed with an ace to pull within two, but the Rambelles were able to use several scoring runs to win set two, 25-13.
The Rattlers fought back from a 9-2 deficit to close within one point, 11-10, but the Rambelles showed why they won the LSC Tournament a season ago, keeping the Rattlers off balance for the 25-18 win.
St. Mary's remains on the road, heading to Odessa to face the UT Permian Basin Falcons at 1 p.m. on Saturday. UTPB defeated St. Edward's in four sets on Friday evening.
