Xavier Volleyball Adavances to Finals of A-10 Tourney with 3-1 Win Over Saint Louis
CINCINNATI - For the first time since 2007, the Xavier volleyball team has advanced to the finals of the Atlantic 10 Championship with its 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22) win over Saint Louis Saturday evening at Cintas Center. The second-seeded Xavier will face the winner of No. 1 Dayton vs. No. 4 Duquesne Sunday at 3 p.m. The Musketeers improved to 20-8 overall on the season, the 18th time Xavier has posted a 20-win season in the history of the program.
Senior Claire Paszkiewicz set a match-high 50 assists and passed 18 digs while classmate Chelsea Campbell also posted a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs to go with four service aces. Junior Michelle Matia recorded a team-high 15 kills and junior Kathryn Traut added 13 kills as the fourth Musketeers with double-digit kills.
Also for the Musketeers, sophomore A-10 Libero of the Year Stephanie Vorherr had a match-high 23 digs. Senior Shannon Wells chipped in 10 digs and sophomore Kaleigh Rougraff added 14 digs.
Xavier opened the first frame with a 7-1 run, capped by a kill from Matia, and the Billikens called for a timeout. After the break, a Musketeer service error gave SLU the side out but Matia struck again setting the score at 8-2. Freshman Sarah Brown recorded four kills for the Musketeers, stretching the lead to eight, 12-4.
Saint Louis (19-12) was forced to call its second timeout after a Billiken attack error gave the Musketeers the 14-6 advantage. SLU scored two straight after the break but Voors' kill gave XU the serve. Saint Louis pulled within four, 17-13, after a 5-1 run and Xavier burned a timeout. The lead was eight again for Xavier, 22-14, after a 4-0 Musketeer run but the Billikens rallied with a 6-0 spurt to stay alive and pull within two, 24-22. Voors ended the frame with a kill as Xavier took the 25-22 first-set win.
SLU rattled off three straight to start the second set and was up 6-2 when Campbell's kill sparked a 3-0 run for XU, cutting the Billiken lead to one, 7-6. Paszkiewicz and Traut combined for a block and Campbell served up an ace for XU's first lead, 8-7. Xavier regained the lead again, 10-9, on a kill from Voors and a SLU service error set the score at 12-10 in favor of XU.
The score was knotted at 12 when the Musketeers called for a break and the Billikens regained the lead, 13-12, out of the timeout. The two squads traded points and neither could get ahead more than one point until back-to-back Musketeer attack errors gave the Billikens the 23-20 lead. After a XU timeout, Paszkiewicz' ace and Campbell's kill tied the game at 23 before a Musketeer attack error gave SLU set point. Back-to-back Billiken attack errors turned the tables and Matia recorded the winning kill as XU went up 2-0 with the 26-24 second set victory.
After the intermission, Saint Louis found itself on the positive end of a 10-4 lead in the early going of the third set. The Musketeers asked for timeout and out of the break Traut ended the SLU 6-0 run with a kill. Two Musketeer service aces, a Billiken attack error and a kill from Campbell pulled XU to within one, 10-9, as Saint Louis called for a break. Campbell served up an ace to tie the set at 10 apiece but SLU got the side out with a kill.
With the Billikens up 20-13 after a 7-1 run, the Musketeers cut into the deficit with a 5-2 run, 22-18. Holding set point, 24-18, SLU served up an error but XU returned the favor to give Saint Louis the 25-19 win in the third frame. Heading into the fourth game, Xavier held the 2-1 advantage.
A kill from Brown knotted the teams at 4-4 in the fourth set and a dump from Paszkiewicz gave XU its first lead of the frame. The game remained close as both teams battled for each point. Saint Louis was up two, 14-12, but Xavier rattled off three straight to go up one, 15-14. A Matia and Voors assisted block and a kill from Matia put the Musketeers up three, 18-15, and the Billikens whistled for timeout.
SLU used a 3-0 run to even the set at 18 each. Back-to-back Musketeer kills forced the Billikens to call timeout. SLU got the serve back after a kill and tied the set at 20-20 as Xavier decided to take a break. Xavier got the lead back after consecutive Saint Louis attack errors, 24-22, just in time for match point. Brown's kill won the set for Xavier, 25-22, and the Musketeers took the match, 3-0.
The Billikens were led by Andrea Beaty with a match-high 16 kills and Carly Marcu with 15 kills. Hannah Kvitle tallied SLU's only double-double with 40 assists and 20 digs while three other Billikens posted double-digit digs as well.
The Musketeers will face the winner of the Dayton vs. Duquesne matchup on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Championship match will be at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast live on CBS College Sports.
