Romeoville, IL— Saturday afternoon, the Southwest Baptist University women's volleyball team fell against Lewis University with a final score of 2-3. The game remained close throughout each set, allowing the girls to rely on one another for every point. Though the Bearcats finished the season with an 8-20 (1-12 GLVC) record, the team took two GLVC tournament teams to five sets this final weekend.
The first set of the night ended with a win for Lewis University, 25-23, in a close and breath-holding finish, with both teams scoring back-and-forth throughout the set. In the second set, the lady Bearcats held their ground and won in another tight set 25-23. This set ended on a 5-0 run by the Bearcats forcing numerous attacking errors from their opponents.
To start the third set of the night, the Bearcats began on an 8-2 run continuing their momentum from the prior set. From there, the Flyers went on four 3-5 point runs to close the gap and take the lead at 22-24. Facing set point, SBU went on a 3-0 run to give them set point. However, Lewis ended the set on a 4-1 run to take the lead in the match.
The fourth set began well for the Bearcats scoring the first 4 points. The teams continued scoring back and forth in short spurts against one another. Every time Lewis went on a run to gain momentum, the Bearcats fought back with a run of their own to hold onto the lead. Finally SBU went on a 4-0 run to even the game.
With the game score coming to a tie at 2-2, one final set had to be played. Lewis University was able to score the first three points of the set, putting them in the lead. After a service error by the Flyers and ace by
Chloe Chafins, the Lady Bearcats were able to reclaim the court and score 2 points. The Flyers strong start continued to propel them to a 5-12 lead and despite the Bearcats attempts to comeback, Lewis held on for a 13-15 victory.
The highlight of the match came from freshman
Gabriela Dupree who had a game and season high 29 kills. This is the most kills in a single game by a Bearcat in over 10 years and was only two away from tying the SBU single match high. Dupree finished her freshman season with 372 kills averaging 3.68 kills per set, 4th best in single season history.
Senior
Katie Pogue nearly had a triple-double for her second straight game of the season. She capped off her collegiate career with a line of nine kills, 35 assists, and 17 digs. She finishes her SBU career, 6th in assists (1728).
Even in a narrow five-set loss, the Bearcats showed the competitiveness and growth that defined their season. SBU finishes the year with confidence in its direction and excitement for what's ahead.
For updates on SBU athletics, visit sbubearcats.com, follow @sbubearcats on Instagram, or follow @bearcat_wvb for results, highlights, and daily content.
