Leavenworth, Kan.- The University of Saint Mary Volleyball team hosted the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes Saturday night, losing in three sets. The Spire's overall record is now 17-13 and 5-6 in conference play.

Saint Mary took all the momentum early in set one, building a seven-point lead after kills from Madison Folsom and Rylee Kenitzer. The Coyotes slowly started to get back into the game, going on a 7-2 run and cutting the Spire's lead to 12-10. As the set continued, Kansas Wesleyan tied things up at 18-18 after an untimely service error from Saint Mary. The lead would change hands three more times until eventually, the Coyotes took set one by a score of 30-28.

Set two started just as set one ended, with both teams jostling for control of the lead. A kill from Ainsley Gardner tied things up at 11 to close out the start of the second set. That was the first of three straight kills from Gardner in the Spire's 6-1 run, taking the lead at 16-12. Kansas Wesleyan kept up with the offensive production as the score was tied up again at 20-20. Saint Mary held on to the lead with set two also going into overtime but could not take the two-point lead to secure the win. The Coyotes found a way to score three straight points, taking set two by a score of 27-25.

The third and final set began with Kansas Wesleyan taking a comfortable early lead. The Spires worked to get back into the set, coming within six points down 12-6. As the set continued, Saint Mary could not keep up with the Coyote's scoring and lost the third set, 25-14. Gardner led the Spires with 14 kills on the night, while Haydan Heuerman had 27 assists.

Up Next

Saint Mary will travel to take on York University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in York, Nebraska.