LACEY, Wash. – Rallying to overcome a 2-0 deficit on Saturday evening at Marcus Pavilion, host Saint Martin's University topped the Montana State University Billings volleyball team in a thrilling Great Northwest Athletic Conference match 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-15, 16-14).
 
The Saints prevented a sweep with a 25-23 win in the third set, before running away with the fourth set 25-15. The Yellowjackets led 12-6 and 14-13 in the decisive frame, but the Saints won the final three points of the night to steal the victory. SMU improved to 13-11 overall and moved to 3-11 in league play with the win.
 
Kennedy Juranek led the Yellowjackets with a career-high 31 digs, while Jahsita Fa'ali'i led the team with 13 kills and Hannah Hashbarger had a team-high 22 assists. Caty Havekost also reached double figures with 11 kills, and Alexis King reached double figures in assists with 15. Christine Funk finished with 17 digs and Fa'ali'i completed her double-double with 12 digs. The Yellowjackets slipped to 7-17 overall and 0-15 in conference play.
 
MSUB got off to a strong start, overcoming an early deficit and pulling the opening set even at 16-16. Neither team led by more than two points after that, but the 'Jackets earned the victory on a kill by Hannah Hayden followed by a service error from the Saints to take Set 1 25-23.
 
MSUB carried the momentum into Set 2 and won the first four points, thanks in large part to a pair of kills by Fa'ali'i. The biggest part of the set came in the form of a 7-1 run by the 'Jackets, when they jumped ahead 19-14. The deficit proved too large for the Saints to overcome, and MSUB gained a 2-0 advantage by winning the final three points in the 25-19 triumph.
 
With the Yellowjackets leading 18-15 and threatening to sweep the match, SMU embarked on a 6-0 run to shift the tide and pull ahead 21-18. The Saints continued the push and went ahead 24-20, before the 'Jackets nearly evened the score. Back-to-back kills by Fa'ali'i and an error by the Saints made it 24-23, but Jennifer Soha finished the set with a kill to keep the Saints alive.
 
SMU opened a one-sided fourth set on a 7-0 run, and parlayed it into a 15-6 lead to pull away early. MSUB never got back into the fourth set, with the Saints comfortably claiming a 25-15 result to force the fifth.
 
Momentum appeared to be on MSUB's side in the fifth, as they started on a 4-0 run and constructed a 9-3 lead. With the 'Jackets up 12-6 and three points away from a win, the Saints found a magical rally to get back into it. SMU went on a 6-0 run to tie the score at 12-12, and overcame match point by using a kill from Soha and a pair of MSUB errors to win the match.
 
Tia Allen led the Saints with 15 kills, while Emmy Hansen had 13 and Soha finished with 11. Karla Soto had 42 assists, and Allen led the team with 22 digs. Abigail Halstead added 16 digs and Soto finished with 14 for the Saints. SMU hit .213 on the night, while MSUB swung at a clip of .110.
 
THE BUZZ: Juranek was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 23-9 all-time against SMU and is 8-7 in road matches against the Saints.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets close the 2022 season with three straight home matches over the next two weeks. Next week the 'Jackets host Seattle Pacific on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with live coverage available online here.