September 22, 2012
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Rattlers made their first day in the Empire State a good one.
St. Mary’s swept the opening day of the Setters Fall Classic Tournament, romping Nova Southeastern 3-0 before squeaking out a 3-2 victory over the tournament’s host, Pace, on Friday.
The Rattlers, who improved to 6-5 with the victories, will close out the tournament with matches against Franklin Pierce and Molloy College on Saturday.
Lauren Holman (Fr., Rowlett, Texas) and Karlie Ortega (Jr., San Antonio) led the Rattlers’ attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, against Nova. Victorria Martinez (So., Arlington, Texas) had 24 digs in the match and Allie Murray (Sr., San Antonio) had a team-high 17 assists.
St. Mary’s advantage was hardly in question in the match, winning 25-23, 25-21, 25-12.
Things were a little hairier against Pace, as the Rattlers went the distance to preserve the hard-fought win. St. Mary’s won the first two sets 27-25, 25-23 before dropping the next two 25-18, 25-20, but would prevail in the fifth and final set, winning 15-13.
Kelsey Huber (So., San Antonio) led the attack with 15 kills, while Melissa Heft (So., San Antonio) and Ortega also posted double-digit kills with 13 and 11, respectively. Martinez had 33 digs and Murray had 29 assists in the match. In addition to Huber’s team lead in kills, she also led the squad with four block assists.