Schreiner volleyball sweeps Texas Lutheran in home opener

The Schreiner volleyball team swept Texas Lutheran in straight sets Tuesday, winning 25-14, 25-21, 25-20 in front of its home crowd at Stephens Family Arena for the program’s first win of the season on its own floor.

Schreiner improved to 2-2 with the win, while Texas Lutheran fell to 3-2. The result extends a recent turnaround in a series Texas Lutheran has otherwise dominated: after winning both meetings last season, Schreiner has now beaten the Bulldogs three consecutive times. However, the Mountaineers are just 4-43 all-time against Texas Lutheran.

The Mountaineers’ offense was the story. Schreiner hit .229 in the first set and .217 in the third, the two sets that bookended a tougher .035 clip in the second, when Texas Lutheran rallied before Schreiner closed it out. For the match, Schreiner hit .145 as a team — nearly double Texas Lutheran’s .082, a mark well off the .162 clip the Bulldogs carried into the night for the season. Schreiner rounded out a full box score with 83 digs, 38 assists split between two setters, and seven service aces, against just 18 hitting errors on 138 swings.

How it went

Schreiner opened fast in the first set, building a cushion that grew to as many as nine points in the middle stretch before closing it out 25-14 — the most lopsided set of the match.

Texas Lutheran pushed back in the second, opening with a run of its own on Ella Waterbury’s serving before Schreiner settled in. The Mountaineers built a lead as large as seven points late, but the Bulldogs answered with a run that cut the margin to one before Schreiner closed out a 25-21 win on a Texas Lutheran service error.

The third set was tightly contested throughout, with neither team pulling away for long. Schreiner used a late push to take control down the stretch and finished off the sweep 25-20.

Schreiner leaders

Mandy Ivey was the most efficient hitter on the floor for either team, going 5 for 9 for a .556 percentage in two sets of work. Lauren Monaco was nearly as sharp, hitting .500 (2 for 4) in two sets. Jesse Garner combined volume and efficiency, leading Schreiner with nine kills on a .320 clip and a match-high 10 points. Giana Hilliard added six kills and led the Mountaineers with 15 digs, and Mackenzie Strban also finished with six kills. Emma Frye chipped in five kills and paced Schreiner at the net with a team-high two total blocks, and Ashlyn Willburn added five kills of her own.

Harlie Gallaspy ran the offense with 21 assists, with Gaby Torres adding 15. Libero Maleyci Soliz led all players with 23 digs.

Texas Lutheran leaders

Andie Lozano-Lomeli paced the Bulldogs with nine kills on a .333 percentage and a team-high 10 points. Zaria Solis was Texas Lutheran’s most efficient hitter at .357, and Nadia Dunn added six kills on a match-high 47 attempts. Briana Salvatierra-Moore was a factor at the net with six block assists.

Ella Waterbury ran the Texas Lutheran offense with 15 assists and tied for the team lead with 16 digs, matched by Ava Search. Libero Kieryn Adams added 14 digs and two of the team’s three service aces.