The women’s volleyball team lost to Marian College in SAU’s first home game this season.

Surrounded by a home crowd, the Cougars lost three sets to one, exploding in set three and defeating the Knights, 25-23. They would continue to be aggressive in set four, but Marian came back swinging, defeating the women 25-23 and ending the match.

Senior captain Ashley Morris was the leader of the Cougars’ offense totaling 14 kills over the course of the match.  While sophomore Lyndsay Murray lead the Cougars’ defense with 19 digs.

Head Coach Carol Gates said, “We battled them in set 3 and 4, playing with confidence and playing well against the game. This team will continue to improve as the season progresses. They are gaining experience each time we play and cohesiveness.”

The Lady Cougars are 0-1 in conference play, with Marian being SAU’s first conference opponent, but look ahead to their next conference game at Mount Vernon Nazarene College on Sept. 7. They will return home on Sept. 12 to face off against Goshen College at 7 p.m.

[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON WWW.SAUCOUGARS.COM]