October 4, 2012
WICHITA, Kan. – Taylor Obermiller returned to St. Mary’s lineup in a big way Thursday night.
Sidelined for several games with an injury, the sophomore middle blocker returned by smashing 15 kills and hitting .789 on the court to lead the Rattlers to a 3-1 victory over Newman on the road.
Behind Obermiller (So., San Antonio), St. Mary’s (11-5) extended its win streak to eight and improved to 4-2 in Heartland Conference play, moving them a half-game ahead of St. Edward’s for third place in the standings.
St. Mary’s hit .361 as a team against the Jets, as Kelsey Huber (So., San Antonio) added 12 kills on a night the Rattlers were clicking on all cylinders. Allie Murray (Sr., San Antonio) had a team-high 25 assists and Mikayla Bass (Fr., Coppell, Texas) added 22. Victorria Martinez (So., Arlington, Texas) had 18 digs. Huber and Melissa Heft (So., San Antonio) each had three block assists, as the Rattlers totaled seven in the match.
The Rattlers won the opening two sets 25-18, 25-15 but dropped the next one 20-25 before pulling away 25-17 in the fourth set.
St. Mary’s will resume Heartland Conference play against Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, Ark., on Saturday.