Saint Michael's College

SAN MARCOS, Calif. - The Saint Michael's College women's volleyball team opened play on Friday at the California State University San Marcos' Cougar Classic with a pair of losses in the Sports Center. The Purple Knights fell to Bemidji State University, 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-12), before losing to the hosts, 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-21).
 
TOURNAMENT FACTS

• Saint Michael's traveled west of the Mississippi River for the first time.
• The Purple Knights faced each team for the first time.

Match 1
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (1-3), Bemidji State (6-0)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Tessa LaFrenier (Narragansett, R.I./North Kingstown/Adelphi), 10 kills, .320 hitting, 6 digs
• Junior Nora Schulze (Hingham, Mass./Hingham), 5 kills
• Sophomore Rory Tower (Fountain Hills, Ariz./Desert Mountain), 3 kills
• Sophomore Caitlin Mediate (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth), 12 assists, 4 digs
• Senior Ashley Marshall (Escondido, Calif./Escondido Charter), 9 assists
• First-year Sarah Gordon (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic), 7 digs
• Senior Emily Winefield (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack), 6 digs

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Senior Ava Athman, 14 kills, .560 hitting, 4 aces, 8 digs
• Junior Ella Kratochvil, 9 kills, .444 hitting
• Sophomore Madison Tripp, 21 assists, 7 digs

THE ACTION

• Two LaFrenier kills helped the Purple Knights stay within 9-7 in the opening set before consecutive aces from junior Anna Paquette keyed a 4-0 run, giving the Beavers breathing room.
• LaFrenier's kill capped a 5-1 stretch that brought Saint Michael's within 14-12 in the second set, but Bemidji State scored 11 of the final 12 points.
• In set No. 3, the Purple and Gold trailed only 9-8 before the Beavers pulled away with the next 10 points.

Match 2
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (1-4), Cal State San Marcos (3-3)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• LaFrenier, 6 kills, 5 digs
• Tower, 3 kills, 5 digs
• Marshall, 6 assists
• Gordon, 6 digs
• Mediate, 5 digs
• Junior D'Niaya Settles (Ames, Iowa/Ames), 3 kills
• Sophomore Abby Crowley (Westerly, R.I./La Salle Academy), 7 assists, 4 digs
• Sophomore Lille King (Livermore, Calif./Carondelet), 3 kills

 
OPPONENT LEADERS

• Sophomore Hazel Livingston-Jones, 8 kills, .462 hitting
• Senior Addison Kranz, 8 kills
• Sophomore Blair Keith, 26 assists, 9 digs
• First-year McKenna Kehoe, 9 digs, 6 assists

THE ACTION

• LaFrenier dropped a kill for the opening point of the match before Saint Michael's led 2-0, but the hosts countered with 23 of the next 28 points.
• Crowley's ace provided the visitors a 2-1 edge in the second set, but the Cougars notched the next eight points and never again led by fewer than six points.
• Mediate's ace in set No. 3 tied the teams at six to erase a three-point deficit, but the hosts scored four of the next five points to forge ahead, ultimately leading by as many as six points four times, including at 23-17. LaFrenier and King notched consecutive kills to spark a 3-0 response, but the Purple Knights came no closer.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• Saturday against the University of California, Merced, 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT and the University of Minnesota Crookston, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT during Cal State San Marcos' Cougar Classic.