SAN ANTONIO -- The University of Incarnate Word volleyball team (7-9, 5-2) pushed Southeastern Louisiana (9-11, 6-1) to five sets before falling 3-2 on Wednesday night in the McDermott Center. Calissa Allison recorded her second triple-double of the week to lead the Cardinals' effort.
SET ONE: Incarnate Word jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and maintained its advantage through the media timeout, leading 15-10. Out of the timeout, two kills from Alex Beauchamp helped lift UIW to a 4-1 run to extend the Cardinals' lead to 18-11. Southeastern Louisiana responded with a 4-0 run to force the Cardinals' first timeout, but the Cardinals held off the Lions to secure a 25-20 win in the opening set.
SET TWO: Southeastern Louisiana took control early in the second set, building an 8-4 lead with a 4-0 run. Kills from Lilly Roach and Kitana Tu'ufuli sparked a UIW response, as the Cardinals rallied to tie the set at eight and force an SLU timeout. Incarnate Word continued to battle, using a 5-1 run to pull within one late in the set, but the Lions held on to claim a 26-24 win and even the match.
SET THREE: Set three opened with another 4-0 run from Southeastern Louisiana, before the Cardinals closed the gap down two at 7-5. Allison notched her second triple-double of the season on a kill to bring Incarnate within one. Out of the media break, the Lions extended their lead on a 4-0 run to force a Cardinal timeout at 17-12. Southeastern Louisiana maintained its lead the rest of the way, claiming a 25-22 set-three win to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
SET FOUR: Southeastern Louisiana opened the fourth set with another early run, taking a 6-1 lead before a kill from Vanessa Eregie halted the Lions' momentum. The Cardinals rallied to even the score at eight, capped by a block assist from Tu'ufuli and Grimm. UIW carried its momentum into the media timeout and maintained the lead the rest of the way, closing out a 25-20 set-four win to force a decisive fifth set.
SET FIVE: Set five featured six ties as both teams traded points early. The Cardinals fell behind 8-6, prompting them to call a timeout. UIW continued to battle but could not erase the deficit, as Southeastern Louisiana closed out the match with a 3-0 run to secure a 15-10 set-five victory.
NOTABLES
- Allison recorded her second triple-double of the season. She surpassed her season high in kills and digs with 19 while adding 31 assists.
- Grimm notched a career high in solo blocks with two and total blocks with seven.
- Beauchamp set a new season high in block assists with two and tied her season high in total blocks with two.
- Eregie and Roach both finished with 12 kills, as five Cardinals landed in double-digit kills.
- As a team, the Cardinals hit .250 and led both teams with 184 attacks and 71 kills.
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on X @UIWAthletics, and on Instagram @uiw_athletics.
Follow the team on X @UIWVolleyball and on Instagram @uiw_volleyball.
