LEADING THE WAY (Double-Digit Statistical Leaders)

• Kills – Hannah Atkinson (ASU, 17 Kills), Mallory Grimsrud (ASU, 15 Kills), Elisa Bentsen (WT, 12 Kills), Nina Mody Bailey (ASU, 12 Kills), Michaela Montgomery (WT, 10 Kills), Cori Haley (WT, 10 Kills)
• Assists – Katelyn Schwartz (ASU, 48 Assists), Selena Batiste (WT, 26 Assists), Kyli Schulz (WT, 16 Assists)
• Digs – Savannah Smith (ASU, 19 Digs), Briannah Mariner (ASU, 11 Digs)

 
CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M looked sharp in the opening set but then showed their youth as they fell to the Grizzlies of Adams State in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-27, 22-25) on Friday afternoon during the season opener at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic at the WTAMU Fieldhouse "The Box" in Canyon. The Lady Buffs fall to 0-1 while the Grizzlies move to 1-0 on the season.
 
The Lady Buffs were led offensively by senior middle blocker Elisa Bentsen with 12 kills on 25 swings with just four errors to hit .320 on the afternoon followed by Michaela Montgomery and Cori Haley with 10 kills each. Freshman Selena Batiste impressed in her first game in maroon and white as the Portland native dished out 26 assists to go along with three kills and seven digs while senior Kyli Schulz registered 16 assists while leading the way defensively with eight digs. West Texas A&M tallied 47 kills on 137 swings with 30 errors to hit just .124 in the match to go along with 45 assists, 37 digs and 16 total blocks.
 
The Grizzlies were led by Hannah Atkinson who led all players with 17 kills on 41 swings with 11 errors to hit .146 in the match followed by Mallory Grimsrud with 15 kills and Nina Mody Bailey with 10, Katelyn Schwartz dished out a match high 48 assists while Savannah Smith led all players with 19 digs on the afternoon. Adams State tallied 59 kills on 139 swings with 30 attack errors to hit .209 in the match with 53 assists, 54 digs and 11.0 total blocks.
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Buffs wrap-up Day 1 of the BritKare Lady Buff Classic tonight as they take on Northern Michigan with first serve scheduled for 7:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the previous match. The Wildcats (2-0) topped Eastern New Mexico in five sets earlier in the day following an Opening Night win over Southwestern Oklahoma State last night in Weatherford.