10/03/07

The host Yellowjackets from UW-Superior were able to take advantage of a disjointed St. Scholastica squad on Wednesday night in Motorrelli Gymnasium, dispatching the Saints quickly in a 3-0 match.

Playing without setter Kati Berscheit and leading blocker Erin Niles, the Saints (8-12) had trouble synching much of anything in their loss to Superior (13-8).

Shawna Varichak had a match-high 14 kills for St. Scholastica but the Saints had 25 attacking errors and finished the night with only a .084 successful attacking percentage.

On the defensive side of play, a trio of Saints reached double-figures in digs -- Diana Moody and Varichak with a match-leading 13 apiece and Cassie Roden with 12 -- but the team had only 8.0 blocks to Superior's 17.0 in the loss.

Though the Saints have played without various 'starters' in other matches this season, on this night they never seemed to all reach the same page on the court. Calls for serves or attacks "LONG!" were wrong by an inch, passes occasionally fell to the floor at the net while others flew just over the net, prime for a Superior unblocked attack.

St. Scholastica's best string of play in the night was through the later stages of the second game, a 31-29 UWS win, when the Saints fought back from nine points down in the middle of the game to eventually tie the score at 29 before finally succumbing to the 'Jackets.

Next up for the Saints will be a pair of away conference matches on Friday and Saturday.

Northwestern College awaits the Saints on Friday in a match-up between the co-favorites in the preseason UMAC coaches poll. The Eagles sit atop the conference standing following a 4-0 UMAC-opening weekend at the league's Crossover. The Saints trail by only a game after a 3-1 Crossover start.

Crown College (0-4 UMAC) will entertain the Saints on Saturday.