SAU closes regular season
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Ambrose (IA) (0-1) | 22 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan (19-8,5-3 American Ri) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Just a day after clinching the No. 4 seed and the right to host a CCAC Tournament quarterfinal, St. Ambrose closed the regular season with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 non-conference loss to Nebraska Wesleyan Friday afternoon in Rock Island, Ill.
The Bees were just unable to make enough plays at the end of each set.
In the opener, SAU was down 24-19 before putting together a brief rally. A kill from Trenyce Bonner and an ace from Mackenzie Grafton came part of a 3-0 run that closed the gap to 24-22 before Nebraska Wesleyan (19-8) closed things out.
St. Ambrose (15-15) had a great opportunity in the second. A Bonner kill gave the Bees a 22-20 lead late. But the Prairie Wolves bounced back with three straight points on their way to claiming a two-set lead.
Kills from Grace Beitzel and Alexa Orozco capped a 3-0 run that pulled SAU to within a single point at 23-22 late in the third. The teams traded points with another Beitzel score trimming the deficit to 24-23. That proved to be the Bees' final point as the Wolves got the sweep.
NWU hit better than .400 in each of the first two sets before hitting just .188 in the third. SAU's best set was the second with 14 kills and three hitting errors for a .275 mark.
Grafton led the Bees with 12 kills. Bonner finished with 10 and Beitzel added nine. Orozco (four) and C.J. Starke (two) also had multiple kills.
Haley Doucet and Ines Marques each had 16 assists. Kenia Diaz Vega was credited with 18 digs while Marques picked up eight.
The Bees will now set their sights on postseason play. St. Ambrose will open the CCAC Tournament at home in a quarterfinal against St. Francis Tuesday night. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday and the championship match will be played Saturday, Nov. 16.