Leavenworth, Kan.– The University of Saint Mary Volleyball team took on the Haskell Indian Nations University on Tuesday, starting the season with a win in three sets (25-10, 27-25, 25-17). 

After Haskell scored the first point of the set, the Spires went on a 10-4 run capped off by a service ace by Abby Hairell. A small run by Haskell was not enough to overcome the Spires, as Keagan Shockley's late service ace and kill sealed the 25-10 win in set one. 

The Spires picked up right where they left off in set two, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. The Indians, however, cut the Spire lead to just one and forced a USM timeout. Kills by Rebecca Sprague, Devyn Ford, and Renata Dominguez swung the momentum back in favor of Saint Mary. The Spires soon took a 20-13 lead. Haskell responded with another rally to cut into the lead, forcing another Saint Mary timeout, with the score being 22-19. An error by the Indians in overtime and a kill by Madison Folsom led to an exciting 27-25 win for the Spires.

Set three began much like the second, with USM taking an early 7-3 lead. After Haskell came within three points, Rylee Kenitzer and Folsom combined for momentum-swinging points, putting the Indians on their heels. Errors by Haskell and kills from Shockley and Kenitzer resulted in a 25-17 win for USM. Folsom finished with 13 kills on the night, while Courtney Standley recorded 19 assists. 

Up next

The Spires will begin play at the Phoenix Classic against Faulkner University at 1 p.m. on Friday in Lebanon, Tennessee.