NEW ORLEANS, La. – MATCH 3 - Blue Mountain Christian Volleyball returned to the court here Saturday at the Big Easy Blastoff, hosted by Xavier U., falling in their third match to Doane University (Neb.) 1-3 (25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 23-25).
Despite the loss, BMCU's Salice Speed recorded 17 kills for her team, swinging 40 times for a .175 average.
Valeria Velez hit double figures also with 10 kills in 42 attempts at .119, while Reanna Brown led with 31 assists and nine digs, one short of a double-double.
Peyton Kidd also handed out 10 assists for the Volley Toppers, while Kora Wilson had 18 digs and Abbi Williams had 17.
Caleigh Grace Turpin was big at the net for the Volley Toppers, claiming five assisted blocks.
Doane's big hitters were just too much for the BMCU defense, as four players recorded double figure kills with Natalie Wood nailing 18 in 50 swings at a .240 clip.
As a team, the Volley Toppers hit at a clip of .176 with 25 attack errors, while Doane hit .228 with 19 errors.
 
MATCH 4
BMCU rebounded in the night cap, overpowering Louisiana foe and future SSAC competitor Xavier in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 26-24).
Valeria Velez was a problem for the Xavier defense from the service line, swatting six aces in the Volley Toppers' win.
Marissa Gerleman led the Topper offense at the net, smashing 10 kills at a .320 clip, while Caleigh Grace Turpin added four assisted blocks.
Kora Wilson dug out 16 balls on defense for the Toppers, and Reanna Brown was one dig shy of a double-double again, dishing out 18 assists with nine digs.
The Blue Mountain Christian defense forced bad shots from Xavier most of the match, limiting them to just a .149 hitting average.
BMCU (7-2, 0-0 SSAC) will take an extended break after two tournaments, returning to action Friday, September 5, traveling to Pulaski, Tenn. to open SSAC play against UT-Southern at 6 p.m. CT. 
 
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