Lamoni, Iowa.— The Spires defeated Graceland 3-1 this evening at the Morden Center, using efficient attacking and a dominant fourth set to secure a 25-16, 25-16, 21-25, 25-9 victory. The Spires hit .329 with 33 kills and only six attack errors while finishing with advantages in aces, digs and blocks.

USM established control in the opening set, building a 14-8 lead before the Yellowjackets cut the margin to 14-11. Makenza Holly and Kayla Adeoye combined for a block to halt that rally, starting a 6-1 response by the Spires. Kathryn VanSkiver later delivered consecutive aces to extend the lead to 23-13, and a Graceland service error closed the 25-16 win.

Addison Baker gave the Spires another quick start in the second set, serving three aces during a 5-0 run. Graceland pulled within 8-5, but Maddison Kruse answered with a kill that launched five consecutive Saint Mary points. Kaylee Kindall and Saige Hadley combined on a block during the surge, helping the Spires restore an eight-point advantage before another Graceland attack error completed a second straight 25-16 set.

GU extended the match by taking a competitive third set. Adeoye broke a 13-13 tie with a kill, but Graceland moved ahead and built a 20-15 advantage. Hadley and Kindall responded with consecutive kills, and a Yellowjacket attack error during VanSkiver's service turn brought USM within 20-19.

The Spires answered emphatically in the fourth, hitting .625 without committing an attack error. VanSkiver contributed an ace and set up kills by Kindall and Hadley as the Spires raced to a 10-3 lead. Holly then started a five-point run with a kill, stretching the advantage to 20-8. USM scored the final five points of the match, with Kindall recording two kills and combining with Kruse on a block during the closing sequence.

Holly and Kindall each totaled seven kills without an error. Holly hit .636 on 11 attacks and contributed six total blocks, including one solo, while Kindall hit .500 and added six digs. Baker directed the offense with 25 assists and four of Saint Mary's 10 aces. Hadley supplied six kills and seven digs, Adeoye added seven kills, and Dakotah Garcia led the Spires with 12 digs. USM also finished with nine total blocks to Graceland's three and held the Yellowjackets to a minus-.008 hitting percentage.
 
Coming Up…

The Spires will have one more road match to kick-off KCAC play as they make the trek to Winfield, Kansas to take on the Southwestern College Moundbuilders on Wednesday, September 23^rd with the first set to begin at 7:00 PM.