April 25, 2012
DALLAS – The St. Mary’s volleyball team kept pounding after their season on the court, participating in the 2012 Heartland Conference Sand Doubles, with five Rattler teams placing in the finals and one Rattler duo making rank among the top.
Out of the 15 top-final standings, five Rattler teams made the cut with the tag-team of Allie Murray (Jr., San Antonio) and Kelsey Huber (Fr., San Antonio) leading the way with a third-place finish. Murray and Huber finished behind duos from Dallas Baptist University and rival St. Edward’s, which took the tournament championship.
Another freshman who excelled during the regular season like Huber, Victorria Martinez (Arlington, Texas), took to the sand with Karlie Ortega (So., San Antonio) for St. Mary’s second-best finish in the tournament at seventh place. The Rattlers’ star cast of freshmen continued to flank the tournament with Taylor Obermiller (Fr., San Antonio) and Julie Kells (RS-Fr., Red Deer, Alberta, Canada) placing a few paces behind Martinez and Ortega at ninth place.
Melissa Heft (Fr., San Antonio) and Puafuatausaga Nomura (Fr., Illiili, American Samoa), who are now veterans after their first regular season with the Rattlers, finished in 11th place. Melissa Dahle (So., San Antonio) and Devan Hartung (Fr., Hondo, Texas) rounded out the tournament with a 13th-place finish.
St. Mary’s performance in Dallas’ sand followed an historic season on the court with the Rattlers trekking on a 10-game winning streak, the best season start in program history. The Rattler spikes went 17-13 overall for their first winning season since 2006. While the Rattlers were unable to defend their Heartland Conference crown this year, they’re already gearing up for next season with a fruitful cast of young players who continue to gain competitive experience – as seen in last weekend’s conference sand tournament.