Parkville, Mo.- The University of Saint Mary concluded their tournament in Parkville Saturday, beating Morningside in four sets and losing to nationally ranked Park University 3-1.

Game One

The Spires fell to the Mustangs in a closely contested first set, losing by just three points. The set had four different lead changes throughout, with saint mary tying up the score 22-22. The Spires could not hold on and dropped the first set 25-22, going down 1-0. Saint Mary dominated the next three sets, winning 25-15, 25-18, and 25-16. Rylee Kenitzer had 16 kills and a .436 kill percentage. Ivory Howat led the Spires in assists with 24, and on defense, Laney Walker had 19 digs for the Spires.

Game Two

In their last game of the day, Saint Mary played the tournament host and nationally ranked Park University Pirates. Set one went to the Pirates after a late 6-1 run that gave them a 25-16 win. In the second set, the Spires took a comfortable lead after a 10-1 run that started after a kill from Keagan Shockley.

However, Park hung around and went on a late run themselves to tie the setup at 24, forcing overtime. The Pirates would hold on to win the second set 31-29 and one win away from losing the match. The third set was all Saint Mary as their offensive production could not be stopped by the Pirates. A late 8-1 run was capped off by a service ace from Emma Prothe and gave the Spires their first win in the match, making the score 2-1. Set four was highlighted by five lead changes and again went into overtime. Down 16-12, the Spires went on a six-point run to take the lead and get back into the set, up 18-16. With both teams refusing to give an inch, the lead changed hands four times before Park scored the winning point and took the final match on the day. Ainsley Gardner was the kill leader in game two with 13, and Haydan Heuermann led the team with 17 assists.

Up Next

The Spires have their home opener on Tuesday at Ryan Sports Center against Columbia College at 7 pm.