RICHMOND, Va. –
Jetta Brenning made program history Saturday afternoon as the Billikens rallied for a five-set victory over VCU (23-25, 30-28, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11) at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
Brenning became the first player in program history to record back-to-back triple-doubles, finishing with a career-high 15 kills, 44 assists and 10 digs. She also became the third Billikens to record four or more triple-doubles in their career. The Billikens improved to 14-11 overall and 9-5 in Atlantic 10 play with the win.
SET 1 | SLU 23, VCU 25
The opening set was back and forth early, with neither team able to build more than a two-point advantage until VCU took a 15-13 lead. The Billikens responded with back-to-back service aces from
Tea Kalajdzic to take a 17-16 advantage. Saint Louis continued to battle and took a 21-19 lead before the Rams tied things up at 21-21. VCU scored three of the next four points to reach set point at 24-22. Kalajdzic recorded a kill to keep the Billikens alive, but the Rams closed out the set 25-23.
SET 2 | SLU 30, VCU 28
The Billikens came out strong in the second set, taking an early 3-1 lead before the teams traded points. Saint Louis used a 4-1 run to build a 16-13 advantage, but VCU battled back to tie the set at 16-16. The teams continued to exchange points down the stretch, with neither side able to pull away. VCU reached set point at 24-23, but
Ellie Rink recorded a kill to even the score. The Rams had another opportunity at 28-27 before a kill from
Tamia Maddox tied things up again. Saint Louis scored the final three points of the set, capped by a block from
Anna Boatner and Kalajdzic, to take the 30-28 win and even the match at 1-1.
SET 3 | SLU 21, VCU 25
The third set was another tightly contested battle, with the teams trading points early. VCU used a 3-0 run to take a 9-6 lead before the Billikens responded with three consecutive points to tie the set at 9-9. Saint Louis continued to keep things close and held an 18-17 advantage late in the set. The Rams responded and the teams were tied at 21-21 before VCU scored four straight points to close out the set 25-21.
SET 4 | SLU 25, VCU 19
The Billikens opened the fourth set on a 6-3 run before VCU battled back with five consecutive points to take an 8-6 lead. Saint Louis responded with three straight points to regain the advantage at 9-8. The teams continued to trade points, with the Rams taking a 16-14 lead midway through the set. Saint Louis responded with a 4-0 run to take control at 18-16 and extended its advantage to 20-17. The Billikens scored four consecutive points to reach set point at 24-18 before Maddox closed out the set with a kill to give SLU the 25-19 victory and force a decisive fifth set.
SET 5 | SLU 15, VCU 11
VCU jumped out to an early lead in the deciding set, taking a 9-4 advantage before the Billikens closed the gap to 9-5. The Rams extended their lead to 10-5, but Saint Louis refused to go away. The Billikens rattled off nine consecutive points to take a 14-10 lead, with Brenning and Maddox each recording two kills during the run.
Kayla Jansen added a service ace during the stretch. After VCU ended the scoring streak, Boatner delivered the match-winning kill to secure the 15-11 victory. Saint Louis closed out the match on a 10-1 run to complete the five-set comeback.
Notables
- Jetta Brenning became the first player in program history to record back-to-back triple-doubles, finishing with a career-high 15 kills, 44 assists and 10 digs. She also added two service aces and five block assists.
- Anna Boatner recorded a career-high 10 kills on a .350 hitting percentage while leading the Billikens with eight total blocks, including two solo blocks.
- Tamia Maddox finished with 14 kills and seven digs.
- Tea Kalajdzic added 13 kills, three service aces and three block assists.
- Ellie Rink recorded a double-double with 10 kills and a team-high 14 digs.
- Kayla Jansen finished with nine kills and six block assists.
