MEMPHIS, TN. – Christian Brothers University came out strong Saturday afternoon at Canale Arena, but Montevallo rallied to hand the Buccaneers a 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-13) Gulf South Conference loss. CBU moved to 4-9 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Buccaneers set the tone early with one of their strongest sets of the weekend. CBU hit .238 in the opening frame and used an aggressive attack and strong play at the net to take the first set, 25-18. The Bucs built a 17-8 advantage before closing out the set on a kill from Sarah Helms.
The next two sets were battles. CBU held a 17-13 advantage in the second before Montevallo fought back to earn a 25-23 win. The third was just as competitive, with the Bucs battling back to tie the set at 22-22 before the Falcons escaped with another 25-23 victory. Montevallo then secured the match with a 25-13 fourth set.
Alana Martinez delivered a big performance for the Bucs, finishing with a team-high 15 kills while hitting .324, along with 13 digs for a double-double. Addison Waggoner added nine kills and four blocks, while Ana Clara Sacca Beltran recorded seven kills.
CBU was especially productive at the net, where Sarah Helms finished with four solo blocks and nine block assists while adding five kills. Sophia Nowacki paced the defense with 18 digs, while Carleiny Morillo recorded 19 assists and 11 digs. Emma Pomaret added 15 assists, 11 digs and three service aces.
Despite the result, the Bucs finished with a higher hitting percentage than Montevallo, .185 to .148, and recorded 42 kills, 72 digs, and a strong presence at the net throughout the four-set contest.
