Notables
-Lindsey Baribeau (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East HS) records 18 kills between the two matches as a first year Saint
-CSS had 118 between both matches
-First ever meeting between CSS and Redlands
-Second meeting between CSS and Occidental since 2014, both matches ending in a Saints victory
Claremont, Calif. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team began their season on a high note after taking two victories on day one of the Pacific Coast Classic Tournament. Their first match of the day was a 3-2 win against the University of Redlands Friday afternoon, followed by a 3-1 win over Occidental College Friday night.
CSS 3, Redlands 2
Set one was a slow start for the Saints as the Bulldogs took an 8-3 lead early in the set. Despite the Redlands strong momentum coming into the game, CSS continued to battle back. The Saints eventually even took the lead 22-21 after a kill by Ashley Larson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS). However, St. Scholastica still ended up falling just short with a 26-24 loss.
The second set started off very similar to the first one as the Bulldogs took a 7-3 lead over CSS. The Saints weren't able to pick up much momentum as their kills seemed to be pretty few and far between, not allowing them to gain a lead over the Bulldogs. Ultimately, the second set didn't end in favor for CSS as they faced their second loss of the match 25-20.
Following the first two sets, St. Scholastica started yet another one by falling behind. However, this time Redlands only obtained a 4-2 lead before the Saints switched gears. CSS found their momentum as they were able to take a lead over the Bulldogs 17-10 with the help of three kills by Caitlin Schneeweis (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS (Mary)). The Bulldogs tried to make their comeback and win the set to take the match but with no success as the Saints pulled through with a 25-18 win.
Despite set four beginning with an ace against CSS, the two teams were neck and neck for majority of the time. The Saints five point run after being tied 16-16 is what ultimately sealed the deal for them in the fourth set, winning 25-19.
St. Scholastica didn't waste much time taking a 9-3 lead over Redlands in the fifth and final set. This put pressure on the Bulldogs as the Saints were only six points away from taking the match. Despite Redlands efforts, they were only able to add another three points to their score bringing the final to be a 15-6 win for the Saints.
Jessica Remer (Grand Forks, N.D./Sacred Heart HS) led the Saints with 24 kills and Schneeweis followed with 11. Katie Brostrom (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) added 50 assists throughout the match, and Alcia Draper (Williams, Minn./Lake of the Woods HS) recorded 37 digs for CSS.
CSS 3, Occidental 1
The Saints continued their momentum from their first match of the day as they started set one with a solid 10-5 lead over Occidental. CSS greatly benefited from attack errors made by their opponent as it made up four of their first 10 points. As the Saints capitalized on Occidental's mistakes, Occidental did the same and were able to bring the score to only a two point difference late in the set. Regardless, CSS still pulled a 25-19 win to start the match off on a high note.
Continuing with their positive momentum, the Saints began their second set with a kill by Reagan Irons (North Branch, Minn./North Branch HS) who also had two more kills shortly after. CSS did however eventually start to fall behind 14-10 part way through the set but would make that be the last time they lost their lead as they ended up taking the set 25-20.
The third set was the first of the three so far against Occidental where CSS didn't put up a point first. Ultimately it led to their downfall as their opponent took a strong lead 13-3 rather early on. This meant a hard fight back for St. Scholastica to take the lead and although they got close, the Saints weren't able to gain the lead and lost the set 25-19.
The Saints didn't allow the third set to snowball into their fourth set as the only time they didn't have the lead over Occidental was in the first volley where their opponent scored first. Following that first point, CSS took the lead and maintained it all the way to a 25-16 win giving them their second match victory of the day.
Remer again led the Saints in kills with 15, while Baribeau wasn't far behind with 11. Brostrom again led the Saints in assists with 45 and Draper led CSS in digs with 28.
Up Next
The Saints (2-0) will finish the Pacific Coast Classic Tournament Saturday where they will face Chapman University. That match will take place at 9 a.m. (PT) in Claremont, California. They then face the University of La Verne (Calif.) at 11:15 a.m. (PT).
