ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's volleyball team fell 3-1 against Indiana Tech in the final regular-season match inside the SHU Fieldhouse. The Saints finished 2021 with an 18-8 overall record and a 13-7 mark in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play.
Olivia Norman led the way at the net for the Saints with 14 kills and four blocks. Autumn Anderson tallied 13 kills, six digs, and two blocks. Janel Ruhlman totaled ten kills, five digs, and two blocks also in the losing effort. Aubrey Bates paced the attack with 49 assists and ten digs for her 13th double-double of the year. Payton Osborne and Kadie Carsten led defensively with 19 and 16 digs, respectively.
The match was closely contested as the Warriors just edged the Saints in hitting with .273 versus .270 for the afternoon. Five kills for Indiana Tech proved to be the difference in a 25-20 decision in the first set as the Warriors took a 1-0 lead.
SHU rallied back with a quick 9-2 lead in the second on the way to a 25-18 win in game two, tying the score at one game apiece.
The third set was very close as the score was tied eight times up to a deadlock at 16 points. A 4-1 run pushed the visitor's advantage to 20-17 as the Warriors pulled away for the 2-1 lead.
Tech built an early 5-2 lead in the fourth, but a 5-0 run by the Saints gave the home team a 15-14 advantage. The teams traded points to a tie at 18 before Indiana Tech pulled away for the 25-21 decision to take the match.
Up Next
The Saints finish as the fifth seed in the WHAC tournament and travel to face Aquinas in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, November 10. The time for that match has yet to be decided.
