Volleyball Weekly Match Recaps

2007 MATCH RECAPS
(Click on results to obtain match statistics)

NOVEMBER 16 (NAIA REGION VII SEMIFINAL):
SAINT XAVIER def. USF, 30-17, 30-28, 30-18

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. --- No. 2 seed Saint Xavier University gained revenge for a three-game sweep earlier in the season by No. 3 seed University of St. Francis with a convincing 30-17, 30-28, 30-18 victory in the semifinal round of the NAIA Region VII Tournament Friday night.

With the victory, Saint Xavier (31-13) advances to the title game, where it will meet top-seeded Olivet Nazarene University (21-19) Saturday at 12 p.m. in Bourbonnais.

Saint Xavier took control early in the first game, but had to come back from a 27-23 deficit to win Game 2. Tied midway through the third game, the Cougars went on a late run in which USF was never able to recover.

Junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) was the lone St. Francis player to record double figures in kills with 12 as the Lady Saints made 25 attacking errors.

Joliet Township H.S. product Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet, IL) led the Saints defensively with 19 digs and 30 passes.

The loss ended USF’s season -- which included a share of the CCAC regular-season championship with Saint Xavier -- at 29-20, its most victories since the 2002 campaign.

NOVEMBER 14 (NAIA REGION VII QUARTERFINAL):
USF def. WALDORF (IA), 30-18, 25-30, 30-23, 29-31, 15-10

JOLIET -- In a game of odds and evens, the St. Francis volleyball team was very happy to have the odds on Wednesday night. USF won games one, three and five to hold off upset-minded Waldorf College (30-18, 25-30, 30-23, 29-31, and 15-10) and advance to Friday's semifinal round of the NAIA Region VII championship tournament.

St. Francis (29-19), the No. 3 seed in the six-team field, jumped out of the gates with a 12-1 start in game one and took the first game in decisive fashion as senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led the way with eight kills.

Waldorf battled back to even the match with a win in game two, but the Saints reasserted control with a seven-point win in game three.

The Warriors (19-9), who entered the tourney on an eight-match winning streak, would not let their season come to a close in a tight game four, holding off USF 31-29.

The Saints fell behind 3-1 in the pivotal fifth game but sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) served five straight points after a sideout and USF assumed control with a 7-3 lead. The teams traded points much of the rest of the way and Polte closed the game and match out with another service point.

Klein led the USF offensive attack with 23 kills and junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 20. The two middle blockers -- Plainfield South product Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield, IL) and Wilmington native Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) -- each had 12 kills on the night. Hoffman, a freshman, was charged with only three attacking errors and Antle, a sophomore, had only one error. Antle also shared the team lead with Klein with five blocks apiece. Polte finished the match with a season-high 67 assists

Joliet Township grad Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet, IL) led the USF defense with 28 digs and 34 serve receptions.

USF will play No. 2-seeded Saint Xavier, who shared the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title with the Saints, in Friday's first semifinal at 5 p.m. at Olivet Nazarene University. The Saints defeated the Cougars in three straight games in their only meeting this year back on Sept. 4 in Joliet.

NOTES: USF returns to the Region VII semifinals Friday after missing the regional field a year ago. Two years ago, the Saints fell at Olivet Nazarene in the semifinals ... William Penn (IA) won Wednesday's other Region VII semifinal, defeating St. Ambrose at home in four games. The fourth-seeded Statesmen play top-seeded Olivet Nazarene Friday after the USF-Saint Xavier match ... USF is 1-0 against Saint Xavier, 0-2 against Olivet and has not played William Penn this year ... The Saints are now 4-0 all-time against Waldorf and have beaten the Warriors in Joliet twice in the last three years in the regional quarterfinals ... USF concluded its home slate this season with a 14-3 record at the Rec Center, losing only to nationally-ranked Cornerstone (MI) in three, Illinois Springfield in five and to Olivet Nazarene in four in the conference tourney final.

NOVEMBER 10 (CCAC CHAMPIONSHIP):
OLIVET NAZARENE def. USF, 28-30, 30-28, 34-32, 30-21

JOLIET — Top-seeded University of St. Francis won a tight first game, but then lost three straight -- including a pair of two-point setbacks -- and dropped the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship match to third-seeded Olivet Nazarene by scores of 28-30, 30-28, 34-32 and 30-21.

ONU (20-19) captured its third straight CCAC tournament title and will most likely be named the host of next week's NAIA Region VII tourney when the pairings are announced on Monday. USF (28-19), who shared the regular-season CCAC title with Saint Xavier, will also be named to the field of six teams.

USF senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL), who was named the CCAC Player of the Year following the match, led all Saints with 24 kills. Junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL), also a first-team all-CCAC pick, added 18 kills. Libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL), an honorable mention all-CCAC selection, led USF with 25 digs. Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) ran the Saints' offense with 52 assists.

USF coach Cara Currier was also named the CCAC Coach of the Year.

NOVEMBER 8 (CCAC SEMIFINALS):
USF def. TRINITY CHRISTIAN, 30-21, 28-30, 30-28, 30-28

JOLIET -- Nothing is coming easy for the No. 1-seeded University of St. Francis volleyball team in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

After holding off upset-minded Trinity International in four games on Tuesday, USF was pushed to four more tight games on Thursday before claiming a semifinal round victory over fifth-seeded Trinity Christian.

The Saints won game one by nine points but let a 25-21 lead get away and dropped game two by a 30-28 score. That score - 30-28 -- would repeat itself twice more as the Saints won a pair of narrow decisions in both games three and four to move on to Saturday's championship match.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led USF with 17 kills and junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 15, including the match-clinching point in the final game. Sophomore Kara Decker (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) had her second straight outstanding match, delivering 8 kills and making just 2 hitting errors in 18 total attempts. Junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) also had a great match with 11 kills and a team-high 5 blocks.

Ambler and junior Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the defense with 17 digs each and Klein added 16.

USF (28-18) will play host to No. 3 seeded Olivet Nazarene -- a five-game winner over No. 2 Saint Xavier in Thursday's other semifinal -- in Saturday night's CCAC tourney title match at 8 p.m. in the Rec Center.

NOVEMBER 6 (CCAC QUARTERFINALS):
USF def. TRINITY INTERNATIONAL, 30-17, 31-33, 30-28, 30-21

JOLIET — As the University of St. Francis volleyball team found out Tuesday evening at the USF Recreation Center, life is not easy just because you're the No. 1 seed.

Eighth-seeded Trinity International (13-22) battled USF's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference co-champions to the very end before dropping a four-game quarterfinal match of the league tournament to the Saints, 30-17, 31-33, 30-28 and 30-21.

USF won the first game handily after jumping to an 8-0 lead behind the strong serving of junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL).

The momentum, though, changed in game two as the Trojans led most of the way and held on for a 33-31 win to even the match.

The two teams traded leads through most of game three, but the Saints rallied at the finish to claim a 30-28 win thanks to some clutch kills from sophomore Kara Decker (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) and a game-winner from freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL).

USF controlled game four from start to finish and finally put TIU's upset hopes to rest.

Ambler led USF with 19 kills, with senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) adding 17. Decker had a career-high 10 kills on the night.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) finished with 52 assists and put her name in the USF record books, breaking an 18-year-old mark for most assists in a single season. She now has 1,691 on the year to break the mark of 1,682 set by Kendra Horsman in 1989.

Junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) paced the Saints’ defense with a team-high 20 digs and added 21 passes in as many attempts. Ambler led USF with a total of 26 passes. Freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) posted a team-best four blocks.

With the win, USF (27-18) advances to Thursday's semifinal round and will play host to No. 5 seed Trinity Christian at 7:30 p.m. in the Rec Center.

NOTES: Both Klein and Polte now have entered the school record books by breaking reocrds established back in 1989. Klein topped the kills mark set by two-time NAIA Player of the Year Ann Deen during the second game of USF’s four-game win over Mount Mercy (IA) on Oct. 27 at the NAIA Region VII Crossover tournament at Saint Xavier ... The Saints return to the CCAC semifinals for the first time since falling at No. 1-seed Olivet Nazarene two years ago ... A USF win over Trinity Christian Thursday would give the Saints the home floor in Saturday’s title match against the winner of Thursday’s battle between No. 2 Saint Xavier and No. 3 Olivet Nazarene at SXU ... USF defeated Trinity Christian in three games (30-18, 30-23, 30-21) in their only previous meeting with the Trolls this season. That match was played Sept. 11 in the USF Rec Center.

OCTOBER 30:
USF def. ROBERT MORRIS , 30-16, 30-19, 30-16

CHICAGO — After suffering the first losing season in program history in 2006, University of St. Francis completed its 2007 regular-season turnaround Tuesday night with a three-game win over Robert Morris that gave the Lady Saints a share of their first Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship since 1999.

USF, now 26-18 on the year and 8-1 in CCAC play, dominated the match from the outset and was never threatened by the Eagles (6-33, 1-8).

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led USF with 20 kills, adding to her single-season record which she established three days earlier against Mount Mercy (IA). Klein committed only two hitting errors in 34 total attempts to register a .529 hitting percentage.

Klein got offensive support from junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) who tallied nine kills and junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) who served five aces.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) collected 36 assists and added six kills.

Defensively, junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the charge with 16 digs and 16 serve receptions. Sophomore Karen Gruber (Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S./Bourbonnais, IL) added 11 serve receptions and seven digs.

The Saints earned a share of the CCAC title with Saint Xavier. USF, though, earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament thanks to its 3-0 win over the Cougars in Joliet on Sept. 4.

With the No. 1 seed, the Saints will enjoy homecourt advantage throughout the eight-team league tourney.

USF opens CCAC tournament play on Tuesday, Nov. 6 against Trinity International.

NOTES: USF won its last six regular-season matches and nine of its last 10 ... The conference title is the 16th in the history of the USF volleyball program and the Saints’ first under sixth-year head coach Cara Currier. The title in 1999 came under the leadership of then-first-year head coach Kendall Villa. USF’s first 14 league titles occurred during Rich Luenemann’s 18-year reign as the Saints’ head coach ... USF will get the luxury of playing at home in the conference tourney. The Saints have posted an 11-2 record in the Recreation Center this season.

OCTOBER 27:
USF def. ASHFORD (IA), 33-31, 31-29, 25-30, 15-11
USF def. MOUNT MERCY (IA), 30-21, 30-18, 26-30, 30-25

CHICAGO — Senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) broke USF’s 18-year-old single-season kills record in the day’s second match as USF completed a 4-0 weekend at the NAIA Region VII Crossover Challenge at Saint Xavier University.

Klein notched her 683rd kill of the season in the second game of the four-game win over Mount Mercy (IA). She eclipsed the mark of 682 set by Ann Deen in 1989. Klein finished the Mount Mercy match with 19 kills.

It was Saturday’s first match, a five-game victory over Ashford (IA), that set the stage for Klein’s record-setting moment later in the day. Klein racked up 25 kills and made just one error in 55 total attempts (.436 hitting percentage) against the Saints from Ashford.

Klein was not the lone success story of the day. Junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) had 21 kills against Ashford and 19 versus Mount Mercy. She also had 12 passes against Ashford. Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) led USF with three aces against Ashford and four against Mount Mercy and added 13 kills against MMC. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) had nine blocks on the day and added 10 kills in the win over Ashford. Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) led the team with 24 digs against Mount Mercy, while Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led USF with 22 digs against Ashford.

The victories moved USF’s overall record to 25-18 and extended its winning streak to five. The Lady Saints close out the regular season on Tuesday with their final Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match at Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m. A victory will assure USF of at least a share of the regular-season league championship.

NOTES: Should USF win at Robert Morris Tuesday, it will mark the Saints’ first CCAC title since 1999 and the 16th in school history ... USF is currently tied with Saint Xavier and a half-game ahead of Olivet Nazarene in the CCAC standings. All three have just one loss. In the event of a three-way tie, USF holds the tie-breaking advantage and would have home court throughout the upcoming CCAC tourney. If USF ends in a two-way tie with Saint Xavier, the Saints would again own the tiebreaker thanks to its 3-0 win over the Cougars on Sept. 4. Olivet Nazarene, though, would win the tiebreaker in a two-way tie with the Saints since the Tigers beat USF in five back on Sept. 18. The tourney begins on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

OCTOBER 26:
USF def. GRAND VIEW (IA), 28-30, 30-28, 30-16, 30-24
USF def. VITERBO (WI), 30-17, 30-28, 30-21

CHICAGO — University of St. Francis opened play Friday in the NAIA Region VII Crossover Challenge at Saint Xavier University with victories over both Grand View (IA) and Viterbo (WI).

Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) posted a USF season-best 32 kills -- just five shy of the school’s single-match record -- to lead the Saints to a come-from-behind four-game win over Grand View. USF let a 23-19 lead get away in the first game and fell, 30-28. Game two was also close. The Saints led most of the way and pulled out a 30-28 verdict to even the match at a game apiece.

USF dominated games three and four, winning by scores of 30-16 and 30-24.

The Saints played the first two games of the match without leading hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) who was late arriving to the match due to a class conflict. She finished the match with eight kills.

Ambler had her 32 kills in just 55 total attempts and committed eight errors. She also led USF in serve receptions (20 with no errors) and added 12 digs. Libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the team with 19 digs and freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) pitched in 15.

The Saints made quick work of Viterbo, who entered the tourney with the best won-loss record (27-9) of any of the schools from the Midwest Collegiate Conference.

Ambler again led the Saints in kills, this time with 11. Klein added 10 kills and had just one hitting error. Ambrosch led the Saints in passes with 18 and Becker topped USF with 14 digs. Senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) added 13 passes and Becker had 10. Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) led the club with five blocks.

The victories pushed USF’s record to 23-18. The Saints play Ashford (IA) and Mount Mercy (IA) on Saturday.

OCTOBER 23:
USF def.CALUMET (IL), 30-10, 30-15, 30-16

JOLIET — University of St. Francis wrapped up its regular-season home schedule Tuesday night with a three-game sweep of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Calumet (Ind.). The win improved the Saints’ overall record to 21-18. More importantly, it pushed USF’s CCAC mark to 7-1 and -- coupled with Saint Xavier’s homecourt victory over previously unbeaten Olivet Nazarene Tuesday -- put the Saints in a first-place tie with SXU. Olivet Nazarene is a half-game back at 6-1

It was Senior Night at the USF Recreation Center and all three USF seniors performed well for their families and friends in attendance.

Outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) finished with eight kills and no errors in 15 total attempts. Libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) recorded a career-best seven service aces and led USF with nine serve receptions. Outside hitter Karlee Lawson (La Porte H.S./La Porte, IN) made her first start of the season and responded with seven kills and just one hitting error for a .600 hitting percentage on the night.

Junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) led USF with nine kills and no hitting errors in 10 total attempts (.900). Junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) added seven kills and no errors in 10 tries (.700) and sophomore hitter Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) added six kills.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) directed the offense with 36 assists. In addition to Zebron’s seven aces, four other Saints had two aces each -- Polte, Ambler, sophomore setter Taylor Wirkus (Romeoville H.S../Joliet, IL) and junior defensive specialist Barbara Bien (Addison Trail H.S./Addison, IL). Bien also led the Saints defensively with five digs. Antle topped the team with five blocks.

USF travels to Chicago this Friday and Saturday to participate in the NAIA Region VII Crossover Invitational at Saint Xavier. The Saints play four schools from the Midwest Classic Conference -- Grand View (IA) and Viterbo (WI) on Friday and Ashford (IA) and Mount Mercy (IA) on Saturday.

NOTES: All 15 Saints players participated in the win over Calumet. For Bien, a walk-on new to the program this year, it was her first game action of the season ... Klein’s eight kills put her at 632 for the season. She is just 50 shy of tying the USF single-season mark of 682 established by Ann Deen in 1989 ... USF and Saint Xavier are tied for the CCAC lead at 7-1 and Olivet Nazarene is right behind at 6-1. The Saints and Cougars each have one league match remaining and Olivet has two. USF travels to ninth-place Robert Morris next Tuesday. Saint Xavier plays host to Trinity Christian, who is currently tied for fourth with Illinois Tech at 5-3. Olivet travels to Illinois Tech on Tuesday and to Cardinal Stritch (WI) on Wednesday. USF holds a two-way tiebreaker with SXU thanks to its 3-0 sweep of the Cougars in Joliet back on Sept. 4. USF would also win a three-way tiebreaker with SXU and Olivet, thanks to the Saints’ 5-3 record in games played in conference matches against those two schools. Olivet, though, holds a two-way tiebreaking edge over USF since the Tigers beat the Saints in five games back on Sept. 18.

OCTOBER 20:
USF def. RIO GRANDE (OH), 30-19, 30-18, 30-23
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD def. USF, 28-30, 27-30, 30-27, 30-27, 15-9

JOLIET, Ill. — University of St. Francis let a two-games-to-none advantage get away in its final match of the Big Guns Classic, falling to Illinois Springfield in five games and suffering just its second loss in 12 home matches this season. The Lady Saints started Saturday off on the right foot, defeating Rio Grande (OH) in three straight games.

USF won a pair of close contests in the first two games against UIS and then dropped an equally close third game. The Saints were on the verge of winning the match in four games, holding a 23-19 lead.

But the visiting Prairie Stars turned the match around, outscoring USF 11-4 down the stretch to even the match at two games apiece.

The momentum stayed with UIS in the decisive fifth game as the Prairie Stars jumped out to a 12-3 lead. USF battled back to within 13-9 but could get no closer.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) led USF in the UIS match with 20 kills against just eight hitting errors. Junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 17 kills (nine errors) and junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) had 10 kills.

Sophomore defensive specialist Karen Gruber (Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S./Bourbonnais, IL) led the defense with 39 passes and added 23 digs. Junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the Saints with 29 digs and contributed 26 passes. Freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) topped the team with eight blocks and Klein added five.

Klein, Ambler and Antle also paced the offense in the win over Rio Grande. Klein had 19 kills, Ambler 12 and Antle 10. All three committed just four hitting errors apiece. Ambrosch led USF with 16 passes and 16 digs. Gruber added 15 digs, 10 passes and four service aces. Freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) also had 15 digs and senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) had 11.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) had 52 assists vs. Rio Grande and 60 against UIS.

The Lady Saints moved their record to 20-18.

NOTES: Klein and Ambler were both named to the Big Guns Classic all-tournament team ... Both of USF’s home losses this season have come in tournaments hosted by the Saints. USF fell to then-No. 17 Cornerstone (MI) in three games during the USF Invitational in mid-September and then lost today’s finale with Illinois Springfield. The Saints are 10-2 at home and have just one regular-season home match remaining. That will be this coming Tuesday night against CCAC foe Calumet (IN). USF will almost certainly play host to at least one CCAC tournament game when that event kicks off on Nov. 6 ... The Saints have had little luck in matches that have gone the full five games this season. USF is just 1-5 with its only success coming against Berry (GA) at a tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind., back on Sept. 21 ... With three wins in four matches against NAIA schools this weekend, USF now stands 20-13 against NAIA foes. USF is 0-5 versus NCAA Division II schools. The Saints will face only NAIA teams the rest of the way ... USF also will play only teams from NAIA Region VII the rest of the way, barring a trip to the NAIA Championship tournament. USF currently stands 10-1against teams from the region.

OCTOBER 19:
USF def. CULVER-STOCKTON (MO), 30-20, 34-32, 33-31
USF def. MARIAN (IN), 30-20, 15-30, 30-21, 30-28

JOLIET, Ill. — University of St. Francis won both of its matches as the Lady Saints opened play in their seven-team Big Guns Classic at the USF Recreation Center.

The Saints (19-17) started the day off with a three-game sweep of Culver-Stockton (MO). USF rallied from a 17-13 deifict in the first game with a 17-3 run at the end.

Games two and three were close right to the end with USF pulling out a pair of two-point decisions.

The tandem of senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) and junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) combined for 37 kills with Klein collecting 19 and Ambler 18. Ambler also led the Saints in passes with 31. Four Saints had double digits in digs, with senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) leading the way with 14. Ambler added 12 and Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) and Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) each had 10. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) had eight blocks.

USF needed four games to defeat Marian and held off a late Knight rally to prevent a fifth game. Marian sliced a 27-19 lead to just a single point at 29-28 before the Saints got the match-deciding point.

Klein again led the Saints in kills with 18 and Ambler added 11. Ambler had a team-best 35 passes and Zebron again topped USF in digs with 14. Becker also added 11 digs. Hioffman led USF with six blocks.

The Saints continue play on Saturday, facing Rio Grande (OH) at 10 a.m. and Illinois Springfield at 4 p.m.

OCTOBER 15:
WEBBER INTERNATIONAL (FL) def. USF, 30-18, 30-25, 20-30, 30-18

BABSON PARK, Fla. — NAIA No. 26-ranked Webber International handed University of St. Francis its third loss in as many matches on its Florida fall break trip with a four-game victory over the Saints Monday evening.

Webber won games one and two by scores of 30-18 and 30-25. USF won its only game of the trip in game three with a 30-20 decision but then lost the match in game four by a 30-18 margin.

Senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) again was the lone Saint to reach double figures in kills with 13. Junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added eight and junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) and freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) each finished with seven.

Antle led the Saints in blocks with six, including a pair of solos. Junior Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) topped the team with 17 digs, with sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) adding 11. Ambrosch also led USF with 28 passes. Freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) added 17 passes, with senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) getting 14, junior Jessica Bennett (Andrew H.S./Tinley Park, IL) 12 and Ambler 11.

Polte ran the offense with 28 assists.

USF (17-17, 6-1) returns home to play host to its own Big Guns Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Recreation Center. The Lady Saints open play Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Culver-Stockton (MO).

NOTES: The Saints are back at the .500 mark at 17-17 for the first time since standing at 6-6 ... USF has lost six of eight matches, with seven of the eight being non-conference tilts ... USF is 0-5 against NCAA Division II schools and 17-12 vs. NAIA competition ... The Saints are currently ranked third in the NAIA Region VII ratings, behind CCAC foes Saint Xavier and Olivet Nazarene. USF stands in a first-place tie in the conference standings, but remains one game behind co-leader Olivet Nazarene in the loss column. Olivet Nazarene is 5-0 and the Saints are 6-1. Saint Xavier is next at 5-1 and Illinois Tech is 4-2.

OCTOBER 13:
EMBRY-RIDDLE (FL) def. USF, 30-25, 30-19, 30-25
FLAGLER (FL) def. USF, 30-17, 30-13, 30-21

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — University of St. Francis ran into two strong Florida schools as the Lady Saints began their three-match fall break swing through the Sunshine State on Saturday.

USF fell to NAIA foe Embry-Riddle (FL) in three games and then lost in three straight to NCAA Division II opponent Flagler.

The Saints lost by scores of 30-25 in games one and three but dropped the middle game by a convincing 30-19 margin to Embry-Riddle. USF was led by senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) who collected 15 kills. Junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) and sophomore outside hitter Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) each contributed seven kills.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) had 33 assists in the three games, while senior libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) topped the team with 15 digs. Junior defensive specialist Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) added 13 digs and Polte finished with 11.

The Saints lost their fifth match in as many tries against an NCAA Division II opponent with the setback to Flagler. USF was again led by Klein who racked up 13 kills. Zebron paced the defense with 15 kills and Polte had a team-high 18 assists.

The losses dropped USF’s overall record to 17-16. The Lady Saints play at Webber International University in Babson Park, Fla., on Monday afternoon.
USF returns home later in the week to play host to its own Big Guns Classic at the Recreation Center on Friday and Saturday.

OCTOBER 9:
USF def. ILLINOIS TECH, 26-30, 30-28, 30-19, 30-28

JOLIET, Ill. — University of St. Francis dropped the opening game to Illinois Tech but came storming back to win the next three and claim a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory in the USF Recreation Center Tuesday night.

After getting just two kills in the opening game -- a 30-26 loss for the Saints -- senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) collected eight kills in the second game and led USF to a 30-28 win to even the match.

Klein and fellow outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) each had four kills as the Saints won game three by a comfortable 30-19 score. Klein had five kills in the fourth and final game and Ambler had three kills and three service aces.

Klein and Ambler, though, had plenty of help as the Saints (17-14, 6-1) handed Illinois Tech just its sixth loss of the year (18-6) and dropped the Scarlet Hawks to 4-2 in the CCAC standings.

Senior libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) led the Saints’ defense with 27 digs. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) topped the team with six blocks and sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) ran the offense with 44 assists and added 12 digs and four kills.

Junior middle hitter Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) added six kills, one block and three aces.

Ambler also led the Saints with five total aces and 35 passes. She also added three blocks.

The victory was USF’s fourth straight in CCAC play after suffering a five-game loss at league-leading Olivet Nazarene back on Sept. 18. Overall, the Saints have won 15 of their last 22 matches since starting 2-6.

The Saints travel to Florida this weekend as USF begins its week-long fall semester break. The Saints play twice on Saturday, meeting Embry-Riddle (FL) and NCAA Division II Flagler (FL), with both games being played at Embry-Riddle. USF concludes the trip next Monday night with a match at Webber International (FL).

NOTES: Ambler’s 17 kills marked a personal season high and her five aces and three blocks each matched her personal bests ... Polte’s 44 assists were the most she had had this season in a match that has lasted four games ... Zebron’s 27 digs marked her second-best effort of the season and were just three short of the 30 she posted in the five-game loss to Baker (KS) Saturday at the Lindenwood Tourney ... The Saints are now 7-1 at home this season, losing only to nationally-ranked Cornerstone (MI) during the USF Invitational in September.

OCTOBER 6:
USF def. BENEDICTINE (KS), 23-30, 30-16, 30-25, 31-29
BAKER (KS) def. USF, 22-30, 30-18, 29-31, 30-28, 16-14

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — University of St. Francis knocked off Benedictine (KS) in four games Saturday morning but then lost a heartbreaking five-game match to Baker (KS) in its final match at the Lindenwood University Tournament.

The Saints dropped the first game to Benedictine but then swept three in a row to get their first win of the weekend. Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led the way with 18 kills and just two hitting errors in 45 attempts. Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) led USF with seven blocks and Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) paced the Saints with 19 digs and 31 passes. Setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) had 36 assists and led USF with seven service aces.

The Saints won two of the first three games against Baker but could not add the finishing touches, losing games four and five by slim two-point margins.
Klein and Antle topped the Saints in kills with 15 and 10, respectively. Antle also led USF with eight blocks, including three solos. Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) was perfect on 42 serve-receiving attempts and Zebron paced the club with 30 digs. Ambler added 26 digs, freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) had 25, Polte had 18 and Klein added 12.

The split on the day left USF at 16-14 overall. The Saints return home to face Illinois Tech in a key Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the USF Recreation Center.

NOTES: The losses to William Jewell and Lindenwood on Friday marked the first back-to-back setbacks for USF since a four-game skid against NCAA Division II schools at the Lewis University Flyer Festival in the last week of August. USF had not lost consecutive matches to NAIA foes since dropping the first two matches of the season to Madonna (MI) and Bethel (IN) -- both in five games -- at the Earlybird Tournament at Michigan-Dearborn ... USF again played this weekend without the services of starting libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) who suffered a concussion back on Sept. 24.

OCTOBER 5:
WILLIAM JEWELL (MO) def. USF, 30-25, 30-22, 30-26
LINDENWOOD (MO) def. USF, 30-22, 30-19, 30-26

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — University of St. Francis opened play in the Lindenwood University Tournament with a pair of three-game losses to William Jewell and the host Lions.

The Lady Saints started slowly in their first match Friday afternoon against William Jewell and could not recover. USF struggled on the defensive side of the net, collecting only three blocks in the match.

Senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) was the only attacker to reach double figures in kills, notching 17 in 44 attempts with seven hitting errors. Junior Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) followed with eight kills.

Ambler and senior libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) shared the team lead in digs with 14 each and sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) contributed 10. Zebron also led in serve receiving with 23 passes and no errors, while Ambler had 20 with two reception errors.

The Saints improved their play in the Friday evening match but still lost in three games to NAIA No. 13 Lindenwood.

USF got 13 kills from Klein and six from junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL). Zebron again led in digs with 23 and Ambler topped the team in passes with 21.

The losses dropped the Saints to 15-13 on the season.

OCTOBER 4:
USF def. TRINITY INTERNATIONAL, 30-16, 30-20, 30-25

JOLIET, Ill.. — The one-two punch of senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) and junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) was too much for Trinity International to handle as University of St. Francis claimed a three-game sweep of the visiting Trojans in the USF Rec Center Thursday night.

Klein, who entered the game 12th in the nation in kills and first in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, led the Saints with 22 kills against just four errors in 39 attempts. Ambler, a transfer from Kishwaukee CC, added 11 kills with just two errors in 18 attempts and paced the Saints with 24 service receptions and no receiving errors. She also contributed 10 digs and a pair of service aces.

Senior libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) led USF with 16 digs and also was perfect in serve receive play with 16 passes and no errors.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) ran the offense with 32 assists and also added six digs, a block and three kills.

Junior defensive specialist Jessica Bennett (Andrew H.S./Tinley Park, IL) came off the bench to lead USF with four service aces, and freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) led the team with three blocks.

The victory was USF’s third straight — all in CCAC play — and moved the Saints’ records to 15-11 overall and 5-1 in league play.

USF travels to St. Charles, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, to play in the Lindenwood University Tournament Friday and Saturday. USF plays William Jewell (MO) Friday afternoon and then plays host Lindenwood, ranked 13th in the NAIA, in the evening. On Saturday, the Saints face a pair of Kansas schools, meeting Baker and Benedictine.

NOTES: Junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) missed her third straight match due to a concussion suffered in practice 10 days ago. She will sit out the tourney at Lindenwood and then is expected to return for a CCAC match against Illinois Tech at home Tuesday night ... As a team, the Saints had just two reception errors for the game ... USF is now 15-7 against NAIA schools and is 9-1 against teams from its own NAIA Region VII. The Saints were ranked second behind only Olivet Nazarene in this week’s Region VII ratings.

OCTOBER 2:
USF def. JUDSON, 30-24, 30-14, 30-23

ELGIN, Ill. — University of St. Francis returned to action after a week off and showed little signs of rust with a three-game sweep of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Judson Tuesday night.

USF won game one by a 30-24 count and ran away with game two, defeating the Eagles 30-15. USF closed out the match with a 30-23.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) topped the Lady Saints with 10 kills in 22 total attempts. Junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) added 8 kills and sophomore outside hitter Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) added 7.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) ran the offense with 30 assists. Antle and sophomore defensive specialist Karen Gruber (Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S./Bourbonnais, IL) led USF with three services aces each. Senior libero Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) paced the Saints with 13 digs and 15 passes. Gruber also added 12 digs.

Freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) led the team with four blocks.

The victory improved the Saints to 14-11 overall and 4-1 in CCAC play. USF continues a busy week with a home match Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against league foe Trinity International.

SEPTEMBER 25:
USF def. CARDINAL STRITCH (WI), 32-34, 30-26, 30-25, 30-25

MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- University of St. Francis spotted Cardinal Stritch a 1-0 lead in games but the Lady Saints responded to win the next three and defeat the Wolves, 32-34, 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25 in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match Tuesday night.

Cardinal Stritch won the extended first game and played the Saints much closer in the remaining three games then it did in a non-conference meeting of the two squads on Sept. 8 at the Saint Xavier University Invitational in Chicago. USF won that meeting in three straight games by scores of 30-19, 30-21 and 30-17.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) again topped the Saints in kills with 23. Klein made only five attacking errors in 48 total attempts. Junior right-side attacker Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) also reached double digits in kills with 12.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) ran the offense with 41 assists. She also added four kills and seven digs.

Freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadows H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) made her first start at libero and led the Lady Saints with 15 digs.

Ambler also led the Saints in passes with 36 and was second in digs with 10. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) topped the club with a total of nine blocks (two solos and seven assisted).

The victory improved the Saints to 13-11 overall and to 3-1 in the CCAC. USF is currently in a three-way tie for second in the league with Illinois Tech and Saint Xavier. Olivet Nazarene leads the loop with a perfect 4-0 mark.

NOTES: Becker got the start at libero in place of junior Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) who missed the match due to a mild concussion that she suffered in Monday’s practice. Ambrosch is expected to return to action next Tuesday at Judson in the Saints’ next match ... While standing at 13-11 overall, USF is 13-7 against NAIA competition ... The Saints were tied for second with Olivet Nazarene in this week’s NAIA Region VII rankings behind only Illinois Tech. Tech, though, fell to Saint Xavier in five games Tuesday night ... USF is off this weekend and will celebrate Homecoming at the Joliet campus with an Alumni game at the Recreation Center at 9 a.m.

SEPTEMBER 22 (@BEST OF THE BEST CHALLENGE):
USF def. SAINT FRANCIS (IN), 33-31, 30-16, 30-17
MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE (OH) def. USF, 30-28, 30-22, 30-17

FORT WAYNE, Ind. --- For the second straight day, University of St. Francis opened play at the Best of the Best Challenge with a victory and then finished off play with a loss.

In a battle of USF’s, the Lady Saints defeated Saint Francis (IN) in three straight games. The hosts had upset 13th-ranked Georgetown a day earlier. Senior Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led the Saints again with 19 kills and had only two hitting errors. Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 12 kills. Junior Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led USF with 18 digs and Ambler was next with 14.

Unbeaten Mount Vernon Nazarene (OH) blanked the Saints after a close first game by scores of 30-28, 30-22 and 30-17. Ambler led the Lady Saints in kills with 13, followed by 11 each from freshman middle hitter Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) and Klein. Hoffman had just one hitting error in 15 attempts. Ambrosch posted a team-high 19 digs, with Ambler adding 15 and freshman Kyrsten Becker (Rolling Meadow H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) getting 10.

The Saints completed play with a 12-11 overall record. USF travels to Milwaukee for a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference match at Cardinal Stritch (WI) on Tuesday evening.

SEPTEMBER 21 (@BEST OF THE BEST CHALLENGE):
USF def. BERRY (GA), 30-20, 25-30, 30-25, 18-30, 15-11
GEORGETOWN (KY) def. USF, 32-34, 30-21, 30-10, 30-16

FORT WAYNE, Ind. --- University of St. Francis split a pair of matches as the Lady Saints opened play in the Best of the Best Challenge hosted by the University of Saint Francis (IN).

USF got the day off to a good start with a five-game win over Berry (GA). The two schools alternated wins with the Saints capturing the first, third and fifth games and dropping the second and fourth.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) again paced the Saints in kills with 22. The winner of both the conference and region player of the week honors each of the last two weeks also led the USF defense with 14 digs. Junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) gave Klein some help with 19 kills. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) had seven blocks.

The Saints started well against 13th-ranked Georgetown, winning a wild first game by a score of 34-32. The wheels then fell off for USF as the talented Tigers, who were upset earlier in the day by host Saint Francis (IN), rebounded to whip the Saints in the next three games by scores of 30-21, 30-10 and 30-16.

Klein again topped the Saints with 16 kills but was the only attacker to register double figures in kills. Sophomore outside hitter Kara Decker (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) was next in line with just five kills. Senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) topped the USF defense with 12 digs, while sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) added 11 and junior Jessica Bennett (Andrew H.S./Tinley Park, IL) added 10. Hoffman led the squad with six blocks.

The split leaves USF at 11-10 on the season. USF continues play Saturday against host Saint Francis (IN) and unbeaten Mount Vernon Nazarene (OH).

NOTES: The win over Berry marked USF’s first in four matches that have gone five games. The Saints earlier lost five-gamers to Madonna (MI) and Bethel (IN) in the season-opening Earlybird Tournament at Michigan-Dearborn and also at Olivet Nazarene this past Tuesday.

SEPTEMBER 18:
OLIVET NAZARENE def. USF 30-20, 32-34, 30-21, 30-32, 15-7

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. --- Despite getting 23 kills and just six hitting errors from two-time Chicagoland Collegiate Atheltic Conference and Region VII Player of the Week Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL), University of St. Francis fell to 2-1 in league play with a back-and-forth five-game loss at two-time defending league champion Olivet Nazarene Tuesday night.

The Lady Saints jumped to a 15-11 lead in game one, only to see the Tigers rally with a 19-5 run to post a decisive, 30-20 win. The game-ending spurt began with an 8-0 run that put Olivet in control with a 19-15 lead.

USF fought back in game two, fought off two game points and then finally won the contest on its own third attempt at game point. The Lady Saints evened the match at 1-1 with the 34-32 victory.

Olivet reasserted control in the third game with a convincing 30-21 win, but USF would not go away. The Saints rallied from a 24-18 deficit, fought off three match points and won their second extended game of the evening by a 32-30 score.

The hosts, though, had more left in their tank in the decisive fifth game and jumped out to an 8-4 lead on their way to a 15-7 final score.

The Saints struggled to find offensive help for Klein. Junior right-side attacker Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) did manage to record 10 kills and sophomore outside hitter Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) was next in line with seven kills.

Senior Kelly Zebron (La Salle-Peru H.S./Oglesby, IL) led the Saints with 15 digs and played libero in the final two games after being used as a defensive specialist in the first three. Junior Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the club with 38 passes and added 12 digs. Freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) topped the team with a season-best 8 blocks.

The loss dropped USF to 10-9 overall and to 2-1 in CCAC play. The Saints travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., Friday to participate in the Best of the Best Challenge hosted by University of Saint Francis (IN). The Lady Saints play Berry (GA), who received votes in last week’s NAIA poll, and No. 13 Georgetown (KY) on Friday. On Saturday, USF faces host Saint Francis (IN) and Mount Vernon Nazarene (OH), who also received votes in the most recent NAIA rankings.

NOTES: Hoffman’s eight blocks were also the most by a Saint player this season ... Zebron’s appearance as the team’s libero in games four and five marked the first time that someone other than Ambrosch had played that position in 2007 ... The five-game match was just the third for USF in 19 matches this season and the first since the opening two matches of the campaign. The Saints are now 0-3 in five-game duals, having lost to nationally-ranked Madonna (MI) and Bethel (IN) at the full distance at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Earlybird Tournament back on Aug. 24.

SEPTEMBER 15 (@USF INVITATIONAL):
CORNERSTONE (MI) def. USF 30-25, 30-22, 30-21
USF def. JUDSON, 30-23, 30-20, 30-24

JOLIET, Ill. --- University of St. Francis saw its six-match winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon with a three-game loss to NAIA No. 17 Cornerstone (MI) in the second day of the USF Invitational at the Recreation Center. USF rebounded to knock off Judson in three games to complete the weekend with a 3-1 mark and move its overall record to 10-8.

Cornerstone applied the pressure early, built an eight-point lead, and then helf off the Saints by a 30-25 score in game one.

That would be as close as USF could come, dropping game two by a 30-22 count and game three by a 30-21 margin.

Outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) again was USF’s top weapon, collecting 18 kills and adding a team-best two service aces. Juniors Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) and Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) shared the team lead with 23 passes each and topped the club in digs with 18 and 14, respectively.

Ambler led the offensive charge against Judson with 16 kills and Klein added 10. Ambler and Ambrosch again keyed the defense, with Ambler topping the team in passes (18) and Ambrosch leading the club in digs (16).

NOTES: Freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) had six blocks against Cornerstone and five vs. Judson. Playing in just over half of USF’s 61 games, she is second on the team in total blocks with 38 and well ahead in blocks per game with 1.19 ... The Lady Saints are 10-8 overall but stand 10-4 against NAIA competition. USF lost all four matches it played against NCAA Division II opponents (Lewis, Winona State MN, St. Cloud State MN and Wisconsin-Parkside). The four NAIA losses have come at the hands two nationally-ranked teams -- Madonna (MI) and Cornerstone (MI) -- McKendree, who received votes in the most recent NAIA rating, and Bethel (IN) ... The Saints return to Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference action on Tuesday when they travel to Bourbonnais to play defending laegue champion Olivet Nazarene. It will mark USF’s first road conference match of the season.

SEPTEMBER 14 (@USF INVITATIONAL):
USF def. ST. AMBROSE (IA), 30-26, 21-30, 30-19. 30-20
USF def. MISSOURI VALLEY, 30-26, 30-16, 30-16

JOLIET, Ill. --- University of St. Francis opened play in its own USF Invitational Friday with victories over St. Ambrose (IA) and Missouri Valley College. The victories pushed the Saints’ winning streak to six and moved their record to 9-7.

The Saints were extended to four games by the Queen Bees of St. Ambrose but won the final two contests in relatively easy fashion to secure the win.

Outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) notched a career-high 29 kills and had only four hitting errors to lead the Lady Saints. Klein got plenty of hitting support from junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) who knocked out 13 kills and junior middle blocker Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) who connected for 10 kills.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) enjoyed one of her better matches of the season with 41 assists, 6 kills and 12 digs. Ambler led the Saints’ defense with 21 digs and junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) was credited with 18. Ambrosch also led USF with 23 passes.

USF fought off Missouri Valley by a 30-26 score in the first game of its second match and then ran away from the Vikings in games two and three by identical 30-16 scores. The Saints recorded 18 service aces, with Polte getting 10 and coming within one of matching the USF single-match record.

Klein again led USF with a dozen kills and Ambler added 10. Polte and Ambrosch topped the defense with 7 digs apiece and freshman Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) had a team-best 4 blocks.

The Saints continue play on Saturday withtwo more matches. USF meets NAIA No. 17 Cornerstone (MI) at 12:15 p.m. and then plays Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Judson at 2:30 p.m. USF and Cornerstone are the only two teams in the Invitational field that won both of their Friday matches.

SEPTEMBER 11:
USF def. TRINITY CHRISTIAN, 30-18, 30-23, 30-21

JOLIET, Ill. --- Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) posted 15 kills and just one hitting error and junior outside hitter Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 13 kills, five service aces, 14 passes and 15 digs to lead University of St. Francis to its fourth straight win and its fifth in its last six matches with a three-game sweep of Trinity Christian College. The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victory evened the Saints’ overall record at 7-7 and pushed their conference mark to 2-0.

Klein dominated the first game, notching seven of her 15 total kills in USF’s 30-18 victory. She added four more kills in each of the next two games.

Ambler had four kills in each of the first two games and five in game three. Her five aces, 14 passes and 15 digs were all team highs.

Freshman middle blocker Lauren Hoffman (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) came off the bench and played only in game three but still led USF with three blocks on the night.

The Saints play host to their own USF Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the USF Recreation Center. Four other schools are in the field, including 14th-ranked Cornerstone (MI), Missouri Valley, St. Ambrose (IA) and Judson.

NOTES: Klein now has 32 kills and just one hitting error in her last two matches. She had 17 kills without an error in Saturday’s win over Cardinal Stritch (WI) in USF’s final match at the Saint Xavier University Cougar Invitational ... Sophomore defensive specialist Karen Gruber (Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S./Bourbonnais, IL) returned to action after missing all of last week due to illness ... USF is now 7-3 against NAIA competition. The other four USF losses came against NCAA Division II schools (Lewis, Winona State, St. Cloud State and Wisconsin-Parkside).

SEPTEMBER 8 (@SXU COUGAR INVITATIONAL):
USF def. SAINT MARY (KS), 34-32, 23-30, 30-21. 30-26
USF def. CARDINAL STRITCH (WI), 30-19, 30-21, 30-17

CHICAGO, Ill. --- Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) had a perfect hitting match in the finale against Cardinal Stritch (WI) and totaled 39 kills with just five hitting errors on the day as the Lady Saints completed play in the Saint Xavier University Cougar Invitational with victories over Saint Mary (KS) and Cardinal Stritch.

Klein had 22 kills and five errors on 43 hitting attempts in the four-game win over St. Mary. She collected 17 kills and had zero errors in the three-game sweep of Cardinal Stritch.

She was not the lone hitter to have success on the day as junior right-side attacker Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) added 15 kills against St. Mary and 12 more versus Stritch.

Junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) set a team and personal season-best mark with 34 digs against Saint Mary and also led the club with 13 against CSU.

The victories give the Saints a season-best three-match winning streak and push the Lady Saints to 6-7 on the young year.

USF returns home and tries to improve on its 1-0 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference mark when it entertains Trinity Christian on Tuesday at the USF Recreation Center.

SEPTEMBER 7 (@SXU COUGAR INVITATIONAL):
McKENDREE def. USF, 30-27, 30-15. 30-25
USF def. ASHFORD (IA), 30-25, 30-24, 30-24

CHICAGO, Ill. --- University of St. Francis split a pair of matches as the Lady Saints opened play in the Saint Xavier University Cougar Invitational Friday.

The Lady Saints started the evening off on a sour note, losing to unbeaten McKendree in three games. USF rallied from an early deficit to nearly steal game one before falling 30-27. McKendree dominated the second game, a 30-15 affair, and then took game three by five points.

Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) led USF with 16 kills and a .342 attacking percentage. Junior libero Courtney Ambrosch (Joliet Township H.S./Joliet, IL) led the defense with 15 digs and 30 passes. Sophomore outside hitter Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) added 13 kills, 14 digs and 20 passes.

The Saints handled the Saints of Ashford in three straight games. Klein and junior right-side attacker Elaina Ambler (Mendota H.S./Mendota, IL) led the club with 13 kills each and Ambler compiled an impressive .500 hitting percentage.

Sophomore setter Kelsey Polte (Hall H.S./Spring Valley, IL) was credited with 40 assists, the most for a Saints' setter in a three-game match this season. Fletcher led USF with 16 passes and she and Ambrosch shared the team lead with 10 digs each.

The split leaves St. Francis at 4-7 on the season.

SEPTEMBER 4:
USF def. SAINT XAVIER, 30-22, 31-29. 30-23

JOLIET – Senior outside hitter Lisa Klein (Hall H.S./Ladd, IL) had 15 kills and junior middle hitter Nikki Antle (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) added 7 kills in 11 attempts to lead University of St. Francis (3-6, 1-0) to a 3-0 (30-22, 31-29, 30-23) victory over Saint Xavier (3-2, 0-1) in the Saints’ home opener and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference season debut for each team.

The win snapped a four-match losing streak for the Saints and was their first over Saint Xavier since September of 2005. The victory also got the Saints off to a good start in a big week against rival Saint Xavier as the two schools’ football teams also meet in Joliet this coming Saturday evening.

USF took control of the match at the outset, never trailing in the first game after taking an early 3-2 lead. Klein posted 5 of her kills in the opening game as USF converted 15 of its 24 hitting attempts.

USF again jumped out to a big lead in the second game, only to see the visiting Cougars come storming back from a 28-20 deficit to take a brief, 29-28 lead. USF fought off SXU’s only game point and sophomore Jackie Fletcher (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL) served the next two points to give the Saints a 31-29 win.

The Saints controlled game three much like they did the first two contests. Klein had 6 kills in the final game, including one on match point.

USF travels to Chicago this coming Friday and Saturday to play in the Saint Xavier Invitational, but the Saints and Cougars are not scheduled to meet in the tourney.

AUGUST 31 (@LEWIS UNIVERSITY FLYER FESTIVAL):
WINONA STATE (MN) def. USF, 30-19, 30-19. 30-28
ST. CLOUD STATE (MN) def. USF, 30-24, 30-23, 30-22
WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE def. USF, 30-22, 30-27. 30-23

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. --- University of St. Francis stepped up to play three more NCAA Division II schools on Friday in the Flyer Festival at Lewis University and the Saints paid the price.

USF lost to all three teams by 3-0 scores, but, in the words of their head coach, played their best against the strongest of the three teams.

“Winona State and St. Cloud State were quality teams, but I felt that (Wisconsin) Parkside was the best of the group,” said sixth-year Saints mentor Cara Currier. “In fact, I think they might be a little stronger than Lewis and it will be interesting to see how those two teams fare against one another in conference play later this season.

“Parkside had a (NCAA Divison I) transfer in the middle that was outstanding and really ga

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