The Basics

Score: Evangel 3, Saint Mary 2 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (17-2, 4-0), Saint Mary (14-8, 4-1) 

Location: Leavenworth, Kan. (Ryan Sports Center)

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – After a week off from play, Valor Volleyball hit the road to resume conference play, taking on a strong Saint Mary squad in Leavenworth. Evangel fell in set one, but battled to force a five set match, taking the win in the end, 3-2, in an absolute battle on the road.

Saint Mary opened set one by recording a trio of service aces, helping the Spires establish a 7-2 lead over EU. The Valor fought back, using kills from Sydney Bryan and Bella Wakley, as well as a service ace from Loran Pritchett to draw within a point, 6-7. Despite trailing by just a point, the Valor could never tie the score up and a late 4-0 run by USM hurt Evangel's chances in the set, as they dropped set one, 25-18.

The Valor dominated in set two, forcing the Spires to swing a negative -.098 attacking percentage. Evangel took advantage of the USM miscues to race out to a 17-8 lead, capped off by blocks and a kill from Vivianna Sanchez, as EU took set two, 25-14.

Evangel kept rolling in set three, taking a 25-13 win in the set behind several kills from Deryan Simpson and Vivianna Sanchez, as well as several ball handling errors from the Spires offense. Despite leading early in the set, Saint Mary retook the lead and held it, as Evangel drew within a point, 24-23, on a Loran Pritchett kill, but a service error killed Evangel's chances in the fourth set, falling 25-23.

Knowing they had missed an opportunity to put the game away in set four, the Valor left little to no doubt in the final set on who would take the win. Several blocks and multiple kills from Bella Wakley helped EU take a 10-2 lead in the set. Saint Mary did fight back, but ultimately the damage had been done as Loran Pritchett capped off the five set win with a kill, 15-10.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bella Wakley recorded 14 kills in the win on Wednesday to lead the Valor.

• Jessica Pritchett led the team with 24 assists in the win.

• Loran Pritchett led the team with 21 digs.

• Vivianna Sanchez finished with five blocks to lead the Valor.

• Evangel earned their fifth consecutive win on Wednesday and tied their most wins in a season since 2022.

UP NEXT

Evangel returns home to host the Bethel Threshers on Saturday (Oct. 12) afternoon at noon in the AGFinancial Arena.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.