ROLLA, Mo. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) volleyball program (0-6) fell in both matches of the opening day of the Missouri S&T Tournament against the Emporia State Hornets (4-2) and the host team, the Missouri S&T Miners (3-2), on Friday.
Emporia State
The Lakers came out of the gate strong with a 6-2 run to take a three-point lead. The hornets countered with a 4-0 spurt of their own to take a slim lead, but the Lakers responded in dominant fashion, taking the opening set with ease by a score of 25-14 with a 17-5 scoring run with multiple kills from the trio of Mariana Velasque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Emilee McDaniel (Manistique, Mich.) and true freshman Rachel Steele (Eaton Rapids, Mich.).
Emporia State fought back in the second set, winning five of the first six points before a pair of kills from Velasque allowed the Lakers to tie up the score at 6-6 with a 5-1 run of their own. The Hornets continued to press their attack, but the Lakers were able to keep hanging around with the help of back-to-back kills from Velasque. LSSU continued to rally with multiple kills from Steele and a service ace from Valeriya Varnakova (Ufa, Russia), coming all the way back to tie the score at 21-21. Both teams would then go back and forth, vying to be the first to take a two-point lead. However, Emporia State would ultimately tie up the match at 1-1 in a hard fought second set that ended in a score of 27-25.
The Hornets carried their momentum into the third set with the first three points of the set, but LSSU bounced back, tying the set at 7-7 after a service ace from Jordyn Haller (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.). Emporia State took the lead again, but the Lakers continued to stay right on their tail with multiple kills from Hannah Callaway (Portage, Mich.) to keep the score within a single point. However, the Hornets managed to take control of the set late with a 8-1 run to claim the set by a score of 25-18 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the fourth set, the Lakers would take a slim lead early with a kill from McDaniel, but the Hornets countered with a 5-0 scoring run. LSSU was able to stay within striking distance with multiple kills from Velasque and Varnakova, but it ultimately would not be enough as the Hornets held on to take the set and the match by respective scores of 25-17 and 3-1.
Velasque led her team in kills with 14, and McDaniel joined her with double-digit kills of her own while also notching five digs and eight total blocks defensively, three of which were solo. Sydney Briney (St. Joseph, Mich..) and Ally Lasley (Birch Run, Mich.) would each earn double-digit digs during the match while Emily Kalinowski (South Lyon, Mich.) had another strong outing from the setter position with 36 assists and nine digs.
Missouri S&T
The Miners would take the early advantage in the opening set, but the Lakers bounced back to tie up the score at 7-7 with a service ace from Briney and a kill from Calloway. Both teams continued to battle as an ace from Lasley had the score knotted up at 17-17. However, Missouri S&T managed to put together an 8-2 scoring run to claim the first set by a score of 25-19.
Both teams battled early to open the second set, but a 5-0 Laker run would put LSSU in front by a score of 9-7 after a kill from Steele. Both teams continued to be neck-and-neck with one another with multiple kills from Velasque and true freshman Morgan Deming (Boyne City, Mich.).However, the Miners would earn a pair of timely points to close out the second set by a score of 25-22.
Olivia Boutorwick (Macomb, Mich.) got into the action early in the third set with a kill to tie the score at 3-3. Both teams continued to battle, but an ace from Lasley would cap off a 4-0 Laker scoring spurt to put her team up 14-12. Missouri S&T would push ahead, leading by as many as five, but the Lakers were not finished just yet, rattling off four-consecutive points behind kills from Deming and Velasque to tie up the set at 23-23. The Miners would have the first set point opportunity, but back-to-back kills from Velasque would halt them in their tracks and give the Lakers their own chance to close out the set. However, the Miners would not be deterred, earning the three points that they needed to end the set and the match by respective scores of 27-25 and 3-0.
Kalinowski was able to put together her second double-double of the season with 22 assists and 15 digs to lead her team in both categories.
The Lakers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 9 for their final two matches of the Missouri S&T Tournament against Union (Tenn.) and Kentucky Wesleyan.