Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU women's volleyball team made history Friday evening inside the Meyer Sports Center, defeating Lewis University for the first time in program history. The Bearcats took down the Flyers in four sets, 25-22, 16-25, 30-28, and 25-18, securing their 15th victory of the season and clinching the program's first winning season since 2013. The historic victory moves SBU to 15-12 overall and 4-8 in GLVC play.
The Bearcats came out strong, recording 14 kills in the opening set to take a 25-22 victory. After Lewis responded in the second, SBU battled through a thrilling third set that required extra points. The Bearcats fought their way back from a 22-24 deficit to a 30-28 victory to regain momentum before dominating the fourth set, hitting .293 with 16 kills to close out the historic win.
Julia Marinesi led the Bearcat offense with 18 kills, while Gabriela Dupree followed closely with 17 kills and three service aces. Hanna Klein added 10 kills to give SBU three players in double figures. Allie Hawk directed the offense with an impressive 42 assists and 17 digs, helping the Bearcats finish with 56 kills on the evening.
Defensively, Melissa Patel led the way with 18 digs, while Marinesi added 16. Kiera Dent controlled the net with four blocks, followed by Hawk and Kailey Sexton with three apiece. The Bearcats finished with eight total blocks, holding Lewis to a .188 hitting percentage.
The victory marks a major milestone for the SBU volleyball program, snapping a winless history against the 10-time GLVC Champions while securing the team's first winning season in 13 years. The Bearcats will look to build on their historic performance as they return to action Saturday afternoon against the #19 ranked University of Indianapolis.
