THE LEAD
The Lady Patriots hosted St. Andrews in an emotional atmosphere as the DBU players saw three of their beloved teammates play their final game at the Burg Center. The Lady Patriots were dropped by SEU in three sets. It was bittersweet to see three fine seniors in Hannah Ballew, Holly Benoit, and Carly Hess end admirable careers as Lady Patriots.
 
ST. Edwards jumped to an early lead with a 6-2 run to begin the first set. The Lady Patriots gained some momentum after a powerful kill by Sidnee Jo Fitzpatrick and a three-point run that brought the game within one at 17-16. DBU continued to battle but a 5-1 run by SEU was too devastating to come back from at the end of the set. ST. Edwards took the first set 25-21.
 
Neither team was willing to give an inch during the second set as both teams traded points through the first 11 points. It was at that point SEU gained some ground and went on to score four straight to gain a 16-11 lead. That was not the end for the Lady Patriots, as they clawed back into the game with a 5-1 run to shrink the lead to one with a 17-16 score. St. Andrews had the last surge as they returned with a 5-1 run of their own to steal the second set 25-20.
 
Much like the second set, the beginning of the third set was a back-and-forth tradeoff. Within the first 10 points of the set, there was nine different tie scores resulting in a locked 10-10 score. SEU was finally able to create a gap after a 9-1 run to put them ahead 19-11. St. Edward's lead proved to be too large for the Lady Patriots to surpass as DBU fell in the third set 25-16.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
.098 – Hitting percentage recorded by DBU
43 – Kills by SEU to DBU's 31
61 – Digs by SEU to DBU's 55
5 – Blocks by SEU as DBU recorded 1

COACH KOKEL ON HER TEAM AND SENIORS THIS YEAR
We had a lot of injures this season but fortunately our seniors were able to stay healthy. The seniors had good seasons and were good leaders throughout the season. I loved how our team was able to be flexible this season with the injuries. They really enjoyed each other and our seniors were a big part of our strong chemistry even though we had a hard year. This was one of the most enjoyable teams I have ever coached.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lady Patriots finished out their regular season today but they have the Heartland Conference Tournament to look forward to next weekend.