Score: Saint Louis 3, VCU 2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-9)
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 9-12 (7-6 Atlantic 10), Saint Louis 13-11 (8-5)
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The short story: Senior outside hitter
Gabby LaPata led VCU with 16 kills, but Saint Louis was not to be denied, as the Billikens rallied to take a five-set thriller Friday night at the Siegel Center.
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OPENING VOLLEY
- LaPata hit .289 on 38 swings Friday and added 10 digs and an ace
- Senior middle blocker Nina Boledovicova spiked 14 kills and hit .565 on 23 attempts for the Rams
- Defensively, freshman Dunja Martic supplied 15 digs for the Black and Gold, while juniors Letizia Galli and Lara Del Core supplied six and five blocks, respectively
- Tea Kalajdzic led all players with 19 kills for Saint Louis, while setter Jetta Brenning added 48 assists, 11 digs and 10 killsÂ
THE DIFFERENCE
- It was a tale of two matches. VCU hit .278 in the first and .333 in the second as it rumbled to 25-22 and 25-17 victories for a 2-0 lead. But Saint Louis, which struggled offensively in the first, kicked into high gear in the second half of the match. The Billikens hit .333 in the final four sets combined and did not dip below .300 in any of those frames. The Rams never led in the final two sets
- Saint Louis hit .295 overall, while VCU hit .205 overall
- Brenning's emergence sparked the Billikens. She began attacking aggressively from the setter position in the third, racking up seven kills in 11 tries, and it changed the complexion of the match
NEXT UP
VCU and Saint Louis will face off again on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. at the Siegel Center.
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