GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Aquinas on Thursday night. Aubrey Bates led the way with a double-double in assists (20) and digs (17).
THE BASICS
Final Score: Aquinas 3, Siena Heights 0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21)
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan (Sturrus Center)
Records: Aquinas (19-2, 12-2 WHAC), Siena Heights (8-8, 8-8 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The home Saints jumped out to a 6-1 lead early in the opening set. The Saints scored the next six points to take a slim 7-6 lead which they grew to an 18-12 advantage that caused Aquinas to call a timeout. Out of the break, the host Saints rattled off five-straight points to force a SHU timeout. Three more points by Aquinas gave the home team a 20-18 lead and they never looked back on the way to a 25-21 win to take the 1-0 lead.
In contrast to the first, the visiting Saints were the team that jumped out to the early lead with a 7-2 edge. Aquinas rallied back with a 6-0 run that knotted things up at nine points. SHU retook a 12-10 lead, but the host Saints used back-to-back 3-0 runs to build a 17-13 lead before pulling away for the 25-16 decision and the 2-0 lead.
The third set was all AQ as a 3-0 start was enough for the team to pull away and never trail in the set on the way to a 25-21 win to take the match in straight sets.
TOP SAINTS
• Samantha Getson led Siena on offense with eight kills. She also added two service aces, two digs, an assist, and a block assist.
• Autumn Anderson tallied six kills and three digs in the losing effort.
• Payton Osborne anchored the backline with a team-high 18 digs on the night. She also contributed two assists and two aces.
THE OPPOSITION
• Kylie Christensen led offensively with 12 kills.
• Adrien Yoder had 18 digs to lead on defense.
WHAC STANDINGS
With the loss, the Saints fall to 8-8 in conference play and have locked down the fifth spot in the standings with one more match left in the regular season.
UP NEXT
The Saints will finish the season with a trip to Dearborn, Michigan to face the Wolverines of Michigan-Dearborn this Saturday, April 3. The match is set to begin at 11:00 a.m.
