Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Pella, Iowa. – The Saint Scholastica volleyball team traveled to Pella, Iowa this weekend to participate in the Grinnell/Central Invitational. Today, Saturday, August 31 the Saints played two games back to back against Grinnell College, and Simpson College. 

Game one was powered by the offensive dominance exhibited by Lindsey Baribeau (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East HS) and Ava Swangstue (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River HS) who recorded nine and seven kills respectively. Familiarly, Grace Myher led the team in assists with 18 against Grinnell. 

The final score against Grinnell was 3-1 in favor of the Pioneers. (25-19, 17-25, 15-25, 23-25) Game two showed a similar result, as the Storm won in three straight sets. (16-25, 20-25, 14-25)

How it Happened
Vs The Grinnell College Pioneers

The Saints started strong in the first set, outplaying Grinnell and grabbing the win 25-19. Multiple back-and-forth rallies created an unmatched energy in the arena. But, the momentum switched for the remaining three sets as Grinnell would win three straight to take the game.

Set four was a well-fought contest, with Grinnell only winning by two with a final score of 23-25. As the Pioneers went on a five-point run, the Saints retaliated by securing five of the next six points. There were many successful rallies for the team, as the Blue and Gold capitalized on the Pioneers' faults. The Saints would come together to score a total of 48 points in game one, a valiant effort that was not enough to secure the win. 

Looking at the stats, it is clear the game was a close match. The Saints would best Grinnell in two stat lines, blocks and digs. The team tallied three blocks and a whopping total of 60 digs. 

Vs The Simpson College Storm

Coming into the final game of the tournament, the Saints were not able to win a set, however, they came close during several set rallies. The second set was a five-point affair, the closest of the day. Despite the Storm starting the second set with a four-point streak, the Saints quickly denied them the continuous lead, securing the next five points. Zoie McDonald (Rhinelander, Wis./Three Lakes HS) locked in two of those points off of service aces. 

The Storm ran away with it in set three, not allowing the Saints much room to regroup, falling 25-14. 

Katlyn Jones () led the Saints in kills, recording six in game two. Natiley Yackley set up our offense continuously through the match, recording eight assists, she could be seen on all four corners of the court setting up fellow teammates.
Up Next 

The Saints will travel over the bridge to Superior, Wis. to compete in the UW-Superior Tournament. The tournament will consist of four games, two on Friday, September 6, and the last two on Saturday, September 7. The Saints will start against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at 3 p.m. Then, game two will be against Martin Luther College at 5 p.m. 

Games three and four on the second day will be against Marian University and the University of Wisconsin Superior, at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. respectively.