Saints Fall To Eagles In Championship
New Orleans, LA- Our Lady of the Lake fought through three competitive sets on the road but ultimately fell to Texas A&M–Texarkana in a 3–0 decision. Though the final line favored the Eagles, the Saints showed stretches of disciplined play and clear improvement as the match progressed.
Texarkana came out efficient in the opening set, committing no attack errors and hitting .400, which put early pressure on OLLU. Still, the Saints generated offense through Anais Velazquez Figueroa, who finished with 11 kills on .318 hitting, and Nicole Bir, who added three kills at an efficient .429 clip. Despite the 25–14 setback, OLLU's defensive structure began to settle in, with libero Sophia Castillo anchoring serve receive and finishing with 11 digs.
The second set remained tight through the early points, with OLLU's block beginning to disrupt Texarkana's rhythm. Bailey Scott contributed timely swings, and setter Lauren Reynard worked to spread the ball despite the Eagles' sustained pressure. Errors limited the Saints' ability to close the scoring gap, however, and Texarkana secured the set 25–17.
OLLU played its strongest volleyball in the third frame, producing its best offensive numbers with 12 kills and a .195 hitting percentage. Velazquez Figueroa continued to drive the attack, while Bir and Scott added support at the pins. The Saints matched the Eagles in long rallies and applied consistent defensive pressure, with 38 total digs helping extend possessions. Texarkana, however, maintained just enough of an edge in transition to close the match 25–23.
OLLU finishes their season runner up in the conference tournament. The Saints were 12-9 overall and 9-3 in conference play.