Alma, Mich. - The Alma College volleyball team was tripped up in its first home and conference match on Wednesday (Sept. 6) evening, falling 3-1 to Saint Mary's. Alma now sits at 2-3 on the year and 0-1 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association while Saint Mary's is 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.

What Happened

• The Scots fell in the first set 28-26. Neither team had a lead bigger than four in the set. Alma had leads of 24-23 and 25-24 but were unable to secure the win. Freshman Haley Novak (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek) had a team-high three kills in the set.
• Saint Mary's got out to a 5-0 start in the second set and were up by as many as 13 points on its way to a 25-14 win.
• Alma returned the favor in the third set, getting off to a 6-1 lead to start. Its biggest lead in the set was 10 at 24-14. Senior Kara Muxlow (Brown City, Mich. / Brown City) and junior Katie Bush (Lowell, Mich. / Lowell) each had four kills in the third set. The Scots pulled off runs of 6-1 and 7-2 in the set en route to the 25-16 win.
• Leading 11-10 in the fourth set, Saint Mary's went on a 6-0 to take control. Alma won six of the next nine points but was unable to get within three points of the Belles before they ended the set and the match 25-19.

Notables

• Alma had a hit percentage of .261 in the second set, the best of either team in any set.
• Katie Bush posted four blocks in the game. She leads the team with seven.
• The Scots had eight aces in the game, two each from senior Dakota Pelach (Gaylord, Mich. / Gaylord), junior Brianna Zimmer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich. / Mt. Pleasant), sophomore Georgia Miller (Georgetown, Ky. / Scott Country) and Bush.
• Pelach had 18 assists, three assists shy of her season-high of 21.
• Miller is ninth in the conference in both kills with 42 and digs with 63.
• Pelach is ninth in the conference in assists with 80. Junior Miranda Shafer (Norton Shores, Mich. / Western Michigan Christian/St. Clair County CC) is in 10th with 52.

What's Next

The Scots are on the road for their next match. They'll travel to Kalamazoo on Saturday, Sept. 9 to face the Hornets at 6:00 p.m.

Contact: Zach Russo, Assistant Sports Information Director, (989) 463-7436