ST. LOUIS – The Billikens rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Davidson in five sets (25-21, 20-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-8) on Friday afternoon inside Chaifetz Pavilion, snapping the Wildcats' six-match winning streak.
The victory marked Saint Louis' 10th five-set win of the season, the most in the NCAA, as the Billikens improved to 15-11 overall and 10-5 in Atlantic 10 play.
SET 1 | SLU 25, DC 21
The teams traded points early before Davidson took a 12-10 lead. Saint Louis responded with a 3-0 run to take a 13-12 advantage, but the Wildcats continued to battle, tying the set at 15-15. The Billikens then used a 5-0 run to pull ahead 20-15. Davidson closed the gap to 24-21, but
Tea Kalajdzic recorded the final kill to give SLU the opening set.
SET 2 | SLU 20, DC 25
Davidson jumped out to an early 5-3 lead, but Saint Louis continued to battle, tying the set multiple times. The Wildcats regained control with a 4-0 run to take a 16-12 advantage before extending their lead to 21-16. The Billikens fought off two set points to close the gap to 24-20, but Davidson held on to even the match at one set apiece.
SET 3 | SLU 18, DC 25
The Wildcats opened the third set on a 5-0 run and continued to build their lead to 10-3. Saint Louis responded with a 3-0 run to close the gap to 12-8, but Davidson maintained control throughout the remainder of the set. The early deficit proved too much for the Billikens to overcome as the Wildcats took a 2-1 lead in the match.
SET 4 | SLU 25, DC 22
The Billikens opened the fourth set on a 4-1 run and continued to build their advantage to 13-5. Saint Louis extended its lead to 18-8 before Davidson rattled off eight consecutive points to close the gap to 18-16. SLU responded with a 5-2 run to regain control at 23-18. The Billikens reached set point at 24-19, but the Wildcats scored three straight to pull within two. Saint Louis held on for the 25-22 win to force a decisive fifth set.
SET 5 | SLU 15, DC 8
Saint Louis carried its momentum into the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead behind a pair of kills from
Anna Boatner. The Billikens continued to build their advantage to 9-3 before Davidson closed the gap to 10-7. The Billikens closed the match on a 5-1 run, with
Tamia Maddox recording back-to-back kills before
Anna Boatner and
Jetta Brenning combined for the match-winning block.
NOTABLES
- Jetta Brenning recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 49 assists and 12 digs. She also added four kills and two block assists.
- Tamia Maddox led the Billikens with 14 kills and added 16 digs for a double-double.
- Ellie Rink also recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 kills and 14 digs.
- Anna Boatner posted a career-high 12 kills while hitting .522 with no attack errors on 23 attempts. She also added four block assists.
- Tea Kalajdzic finished with 13 kills, nine digs and three block assists.
- Kayla Jansen added 11 kills while hitting .346.
- Lara Zigic led Saint Louis defensively with 21 digs, while Lucy Rankin added 11.
- The Billikens held Davidson to a .048 hitting percentage in the fifth set.
UP NEXT
The Billikens play their final home match of the season on Saturday at 1 p.m.
