St. Francis (IL) News
Wed, Nov. 2, 2011 - [Volleyball]
Freshman Paige Reinert led the Saints in attacking percentage (.421) with 11 kills and just 3 errors in 19 attempts
Freshman Paige Reinert led the Saints in attacking percentage (.421) with 11 kills and just 3 errors in 19 attempts

JOLIET – University of St. Francis rallied to win sets four and five and wrapped up its 2011 regular season with a 21-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-16 and 15-12 win on Senior Night over NCAA Division II Saint Joseph's College (IN) at the Sullivan Center.

USF (25-15) dropped a close opening set by a 25-21 score but then evened the match with a 25-23 nailbiting win in set number two.

 

The Pumas (10-16) regained the momentum with a 25-21 victory in the third set but they could not put the host Saints away as USF rallied to even the match with a convincing 25-16 win in the fourth set.

 

USF jumped out to an early lead in the decisive fifth set and only trailed once at 10-9. USF snapped a 12-12 tie on a kill by freshman middle hitter Paige Reinert (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) and put the match away with a kill by senior opposite Sarah Ahline (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL) and a service ace by sophomore Breanne Shaw (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) on match point.

 

Junior outside hitter Jazzmyne Robbins (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) led the USF offensive attack on the night with a match-high 21 kills. Ahline provided solid offensive support with 14 kills and Reinert finished with 11. Reinert also posted the best attacking percentage for the Saints with a mark of .421 that included the 11 kills and only three errors on 19 total attempts.

 

Junior setter Ashley Richards (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) ran the USF offense with 48 assists.

 

Junior libero Dana Wettergren (Oak Forest H.S./Oak Forest, IL) again paced the Saints' defense with 33 serve receptions and just one reception error. She also added a team-high 25 digs. Richards led the Saints with five total blocks.

 

Prior to the match, seniors Ahline and Nicole Brown (Queen of Peace H.S./Chicago, IL) were honored before playing their final regular-season home contest. Laura Shain (Plainfield Central H.S./Joliet, IL), a junior in athletic eligibility but a member of the same recruiting class as Ahline and Brown, was also recognized in pregame ceremonies.

 

USF is off until next Tuesday when it begins play in the eight-team, single-elimination Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship tournament. The Saints, who enter the tourney as the No. 4 seed, play host to fifth-seeded Robert Morris University on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Sullivan Center.