Box Score BABSON PARK, Fla. - Playing the second day of a back-to-back, Webber International University would play host to the University of St. Francis, visiting from Illinois. In an intense battle of two strong teams, the Warriors would drop a five set thriller to the Fighting Saints 21-25, 25-18, 13-25, 14-25, 10-15. Nikki McDaniel would continue her stellar season with 19 kills, Carlee Baxter had 42 assists, and Michelle Calderon added 26 digs to anchor the defense. 


Set one would see both teams stay close early on. Tied 8-8, the Fighting Saints would use a 4-0 run to take the lead. Webber would fight back, closing the gap to 14-15, but then surrendered another 4-0 run. Refusing to back down, the Warriors fought back to be down 18-20, but St. Francis used a 5-3 run to close out the set. McDaniel had 3 kills in the set. 

In the second set, the Warriors started off tied 2-2 before using a 5-2 run to pull ahead early. St. Francis would battle back to keep the score within two points, but at 15-14 Webber used 4-0 run to regain their lead. From there, they would end the set on a 6-4 run, allowing them to take set two and tie the match up. McDaniel had 6 kills in the set, and Brianna Baez added 3 of her own. 

The Warriors would then find themselves down early in set three, falling behind 1-7 early. A relentless defensive effort and strong serves allowed St. Francis to keep the pressure on, keeping Webber as many as eleven points down. After a small push at the end, Webber would drop the third set and fall behind in the match. 

Set four did not get off to a strong start for the Warriors, who found themselves down 3-6 early. However, they used a 5-1 run to retake the lead before trading points. Eventually pushing the lead to 14-11, they would then use the serve of Tessa Colden to rattle off a 7-0 run to take control of the set. The teams would trade points at the end, and the Warriors would force the decisive fifth set. McDaniel supplied 4 kills in the set. 

The final set saw the Fighting Saints jump out early. As in the third, they would go up 1-7 on the Warriors, using their serve and defense to keep the pressure on. Not relenting, Webber would claw their way back into the match, using a 9-5 run to pull the score to 10-12. However, St. Francis would win the next three points in a row, locking up the set and the match. Colden provided two kills in the set, and McDaniel and Baez each had an ace. 

The Fighting Saints were led by Alyssa Bridleman with 19 kills and Joanna Nowicki with 14. Danielle Conrad and Amber Casey had 25 and 20 assists, respectively, and Leah Alles recorded a match high 32 digs. 

The Warriors return to action Tuesday evening as they travel to face Sun Conference opponent Keiser University. First serve is at7:00 PM Eastern Time.