HOUSTON, Tex. – The Alverno College volleyball team wrapped up its weekend at the UST Opening Weekend Tournament in Houston, dropping both of its Saturday matches in straight sets. The Inferno first fell to host St. Thomas-Houston before closing the tournament against Mary Hardin-Baylor.

With the results, Alverno moves to 0-4 on the season and will have more than a week off before opening its home schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 9, when the Inferno host Maranatha Baptist at 7 p.m. St. Thomas-Houston improved to 3-0 with its win over Alverno, while UMHB moved to 2-1 after defeating Adrian earlier in the day in four sets.

St. Thomas-Houston 3, Alverno 0 (25-10, 25-6, 25-10)
The Inferno dropped their opening match of the day to host St. Thomas-Houston, as the Celts stayed unbeaten through their first three contests.

The Celts, picked to finish fourth in their preseason conference poll, hit at a .423 clip (37-7-71) while adding 11 service aces and 42 digs, limiting Alverno to just 22 digs in the match.

Senior Sharisty Kooch (Terrebonne, Ore./Redmond) tallied 13 assists and tied for the team lead with six digs. Freshman Sofia Mitchell (Denver, Colo./Denver School of Science & Technology: Montview) chipped in four kills with only one attack error on 10 attempts for a .300 hitting percentage, also adding a block solo.

For the Celts, Alexis Boudunrin finished with 10 points on six kills and four aces, while Mia Medina led the offense with 17 assists as 11 different players recorded multiple kills.

Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, Alverno 0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-9)
In their second and final match of the tournament, the Inferno fell to Mary Hardin-Baylor, as the Cru completed the sweep in three sets.

UMHB, picked second in its conference preseason poll, hit .333 (37-10-81) and limited Alverno to just 13 kills while forcing 22 errors. The Cru also collected 10 service aces, six blocks, and 43 digs compared to the Inferno's 27.

Freshman Holly King (Richland Center, Wis./Ithaca) paced Alverno with seven kills and tied for the team lead with six digs. First-year Carly Juneau (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Francis) handed out a team-high six assists, while fellow freshman Beyonca Hereford (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) added five assists, three digs, and three service aces. Senior Dominique Tetrault (La Broquerie, Manitoba/École Saint Joachim) contributed defensively with a block solo and a block assist.

Alverno battled early in the opening set, trailing just 10-7 after Mitchell and Tetrault combined for a block, but UMHB was able to respond with an 8-0 run and later held a 24-10 advantage. The Inferno answered with a 6-0 stretch highlighted by three Hereford aces, but the Cru were able to close out the frame.

UMHB controlled the second set and took a 2-0 lead, but Alverno kept the third and final set close early, leading 6-5 early in the action. The Cru were able to pull away late in the third set with a 7-0 run to take a 12-6 lead and then finished the win with a 9-0 run to secure the sweep.

For the Cru, Allie Thompson led the attack with 10 kills in 14 swings for a .571 hitting percentage, while Kendall Harrington dished out 29 assists and served four aces.