Box Score EVANSTON, Ill. - Saint Louis overcame a decisive first-set loss
to make things close, but Western Michigan escaped with a 25-15, 26-24, 28-26
victory over the Billikens Friday morning in the opening match of
Northwestern's Wildcat Classic.
Lindsey
Dinkelacker
and Carly Marcum
led the SLU offensive attack with 10 and seven kills, respectively. Marcum
added a match-high six blocks to help the Billikens (5-6) to an 8-6 edge at the
net. Cassie Clarke
tallied 24 assists, 13 digs and four blocks, and Grace Bonoma registered a team-high 14
digs. Dinkelacker tacked on eight digs.
Western Michigan
(6-4) sprinted to a 5-1 advantage and controlled the opening set throughout to
claim a 1-0 lead.
Set two featured
10 ties and five lead changes. The Billikens led by two points on numerous
occasions and had a pair of set points at 24-22, but a 4-0 run by the Broncos
put Saint Louis in a 2-0 hole.
The Bills
gradually pulled away in set three and built a 21-16 lead. Western Michigan
tied it at 23 with a 7-2 spurt, but Saint Louis rebounded and held leads of
24-23, 25-24 and 26-25. However, the Broncos fought off all three set points
and finished with three consecutive points to win the set and the match.
The
Billikens meet Northwestern tonight at 7 p.m. and conclude tournament play
against Delaware Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
