Box Score Caldwell, ID – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Lady Lions Volleyball team opened their season Friday morning against the Saint Katherine University (USK) Firebirds in the College of Idaho Tournament.
USK could not generate an offensive punch against the stingy SAGU defense. The Lady Lions trailed for only one moment in their season-opener due to their relentless defense. Saint Katherine University (0-1) from San Marcos, CA, was swept by SAGU (1-0, 0-0) in 3 sets 25-22, 25-13, and 25-17
Lion Review
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Coming into the match, The Lady Lions had an impressive run in the 2021 Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Tournament last year, winning all but one set as SAGU won the title after defeating Wayland Baptist 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-23) on Nov 13 at Oklahoma City's Abe Lemons Arena.
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SAGU Secured Top Spot in the Preseason Edition of the 2022 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) women volleyball coaches' top 25 polls placed the SAGU Lady Lions No. 23, the NAIA announced on Aug 10.
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The first set was as tight as the final score indicates, with no team gaining more than a four-point lead during the set. SAGU prevailed 25-23.
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In the second set, a late run propelled SAGU to a 19-11 lead. At that juncture, SAGU was the recipient of multiple attack errors by USK, and a finishing kill by Emma Tompkins made the final 25-17.
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Looking to close out the match in three sets, SAGU took a 17-9 lead in the third. From then on, SAGU and USK scored 8-8, resulting in SAGU winning the set and match 25-17.
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Tessa Glick made her presence known with 18 digs in the sweep. Ava Myers has 16 kills and two errors for a hitting percentage of .400. Riley Burcham had an excellent passing and setting game with 33 assists.
More from Moore
"We got off to a great start. Our kids really stepped up and played at a good level. We hit at a good pace in sets 1 and 2. Set 3, we did not terminate the ball. It is early, and we are still trying to figure a few things out," Head Volleyball Coach Hank Moore noted when asked about his team's season opener.
"We have a tough match at 4:00. Corbin is going to be a tough team," Moore said.
The Next Step
SAGU (1-0, 0-0) will play the Corban University Warriors in The College of Idaho Tournament at 4:00 pm Aug 19. The Lady Lions will continue to have a fantastic opportunity to play some tough opposition early in the season, for the No. 7 Corban University Women's Volleyball team is coming off its most successful season in their program history. The weekend action will conclude with a match against tournament host College of Idaho at noon Saturday, Aug 20, followed by a 4:00 pm match versus Montana Western.
As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community. We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service. Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
