HUTCHINSON, Kan. – No. 5 seeded University of Saint Mary volleyball avenged a 3-1 regular-season loss to fourth-seeded Kansas Wesleyan today as the Spires derailed the Coyotes with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) sweep at the KCAC Tournament Quarterfinals in the Hutchinson Sports arena Friday afternoon.

The Spires move onto the KCAC Tournament Semifinals later today at 5 p.m. and are now 22-9 overall.

It was a tough battle early on for the Spires, but they managed to break a 12-12 tie in the first set, by scoring six straight points to lead 18-12. Saint Mary continued to chip away as Kelsey Huggans and Jessica Malizzi combined for three kills to give the team a 24-19 lead. Keagan Shockley then finalized the set with a kill as the Spires took the first frame 25-19. Saint Mary would jump out to a 5-3 lead in the second set and keep the momentum rolling. Shockley capped off a 6-2 run with two kills to give the team an 11-5 lead, but the Coyotes rallied back to tie the score at 11-11. The set would go on to be a back-and-forth battle, but the Spires broke a 21-21 tie with four straight points – taking the set at 25-21.

Kansas Wesleyan was unable to keep pace with the Spires in the third set, as Saint Mary once again increased their advantage to seven points at 18-11. Saint Mary would see the Coyotes cut the lead to 21-18, but Hannah Vanriette sparked a run for the Spires with a kill, as the team would go on to win 25-22.

Shockley led the Spires with 11 kills, while Malizzi added 10 kills and a hitting percentage of .421. Abby Hairell and Haydan Heuermann each had 17 assists and Laney Ward recorded 16 digs.

Saint Mary will play Ottawa later today at 5 p.m. in the KCAC Tournament Semifinals in Hutchinson, Kan. For a full look at the KCAC Tournament bracket, click here.