MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Indiana Tech volleyball team concluded play in their opening weekend at the St. Thomas Invitational with a 3-1 win (17-25, 25-8, 25-17, 25-19) over Xavier University of Louisiana and a 3-0 loss (21-25, 24-26, 24-26) to the hosts on Saturday afternoon at the Fernandez Family Center.
 
Gabby Staggs led the Warriors with double digit kills in each match (23), pouring in a game-high 11 against the Bobcats before adding 12 against the Golden Nuggets while hitting over .500 in both games. Against Xavier Cassie Sarabia had a game-high 18 kills to go along with 20 digs, while Taylor Kelso dugout 25 balls against the Golden Nuggets. Staggs would add three blocks apiece in each game while Karli Jones dished out 44 assists on the day.
 
The Orange and Black found themselves in a battle with the hosts Bobcats in the opening match of the day, with sets two and three both going past the 25 point mark. Tech went down 23-20 in the third set, but two kills from Staggs and a pair of attack errors from St. Thomas put the visitors up 24-23. The Warriors were unable to extend the game however, as the Bobcats took the next three points to complete the sweep.
 
After dropping the first set to the Golden Nuggets, Tech would come roaring back in the second to win in dominating fashion, 25-8. Tech would hit .324 in the set while limiting Xavier to -.071 hitting. An 11-0 run to make it 17-5 put the set out of reach and tie the match at one-all.
 
The Warriors would continue to dominate at the net in the next two sets, limiting the Golden Nuggets to under a .125 hitting percentage in both sets. A 9-0 run would give the Orange and Black the win in set number three after trailing 17-16, giving Tech the momentum to finish off the win and go 2-2 over the weekend.
 
Tech (2-2) returns to the court next weekend as they travel down to Marion, Indiana for the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational. First up is Judson University (Ill.) at 12 p.m. on Friday while the Warriors will also take on Trinity Christian College (Ill.) Taylor University and the host Wildcats.