BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Only six points made the difference as the Olivet Nazarene University women's volleyball team played close but ultimately dropped a 25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21 match to Saint Xavier Tuesday evening in McHie Arena.

Olivet Nazarene opened the first set with a strong start, quickly taking a 3-0 lead with contributions from Naomi Monney-Hori and Ayla Dorsey, both benefiting from the precise sets of Analiese Fredin. Despite Saint Xavier's mid-set rally to tie the score at 5-5, the Tigers responded with a crucial run, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Fredin, extending their lead to 12-8 and prompting a timeout from their opponents. However, the Cougars regained momentum, taking advantage of a series of attack errors to pull ahead late in the set, ultimately closing it with a narrow 25-22 victory.

Olivet Nazarene began the second set with a strategic advantage, capitalizing on early attack errors by Saint Xavier to secure a 2-0 lead. Fredin played a pivotal role with multiple assists, including setting up Monney-Hori for several key kills, maintaining a narrow lead throughout the set. In a tense exchange, the Tigers took control late with a decisive 4-0 run, capped by Brynn Nikonchuk's kill at 24-22, and sealed the set 25-22 after an attack error by Carrington Smith.

The third set began with a strong defensive start from Olivet Nazarene, as Fredin and Dorsey combined for a block against Tara Glynn. Despite trailing early, the Tigers rallied midway through the set with a crucial 5-0 run, including a service ace from Natalie Wall and a kill by Fredin, to take a brief 15-14 lead. However, a late surge from Saint Xavier, capitalizing on attack errors and a critical timeout at 20-20, allowed them to narrowly edge Olivet Nazarene 25-23 in a closely contested set.

The fourth set began with Saint Xavier taking an early lead, thanks to a service ace from Samantha Hovey at 1-0. Olivet Nazarene responded with a kill by Fredin to narrow the gap to 6-3, but Saint Xavier capitalized on a series of attack errors to extend their lead to 12-10. The Tigers battled back, with Monney-Hori delivering a crucial kill to bring the score to 18-14, but the Cougars maintained their advantage. Despite a late surge by the Tigers, closing the gap to 24-21 with a series of kills from Monney-Hori and Fredin, Saint Xavier clinched the set 25-21 with a final kill by Glynn.

Sabrina Sanif led the defensive effort with a total of six blocks and added 10 kills, contributing significantly to the team's overall performance with 14.5 points. Fredin orchestrated the offense by distributing 38 assists and supported the defense with 16 digs. Monney-Hori was the team's top scorer, tallying 17 kills and 17.5 points in the match. Breanna Lamie effectively anchored the back row, recording 18 digs to aid the team's defensive efforts.

The Tigers hold an overall record of 2-13 and a conference record of 2-2. The Cougars currently stand at 5-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu