SAN ANTONIO — Four Southwestern volleyball players finished with double-digit digs in a spectacular defensive effort to propel the No. 16-ranked Pirates past No. 7-ranked Colorado College 3-2, advancing to the SCAC Championship.
Lauren Crabtree and Andie Valenzuela had four block assists each and libero Ali Grona anchored the defense behind the block with a match-high 27 digs, helping to limit two-time SCAC Player of the Year Georgia Mullins to .091 hitting and Colorado College to just .112 overall.
"Today shows us that growing and developing collectively is worth all the effort and energy each day. This is a true team win," Southwestern head volleyball coach Don Flora says. "We handled the game plan well for much of the match and that showed in holding two of their top attackers under .100 in hitting percentage. [Assistant coach] Tara [Wulf] and the defense did a nice job in our block and defensive schemes."
Setters Katelyn Whitehead and Claire Romo were instrumental to the win, combining for 35 digs while directing a balanced attack that produced three players with double-digits kills with 22 and 20 assists.
"Our setters played tremendous defense, served tough, and made many good decisions in the offense," Flora says. "We are stoked they battled all match."
Southwestern set the tone with its serve, recording 13 aces. Defensive specialist Geneva Nedrow led the effort with four aces, followed by outside-hitter Emma White's three. Riley Brantley and Romo had two aces each, and Grona and Whitehead served one apiece.
Crabtree led Southwestern with 14 kills on a .189 hitting percentage. White had 13 kills and 14 digs, and Jessica Kuras continued her trend of stepping up against nationally-ranked teams with 10 kills on a team-high .241 hitting percentage.
"A really important component was winning the service line. Having six servers with one or more aces is a sign that we are being mindful with the ball in our hands. Geneva's four aces with zero errors is a really cool deal," Flora says. "This is one step toward our team goals, but this one has some value toward our growth."
With the win, Southwestern improves to 24-4 and advances to the SCAC Championship match for the first time since 2018. The Pirates will face No. 2-ranked Trinity tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.
