HASTINGS, Neb. – The Carroll College volleyball team split Friday's action falling 20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 29-27 to No. 4 Midland before sweeping No. 19 Hastings 26-24, 27-25, 26-24 in front of a raucous crowd.
 
The win improves the Carroll record to 4-7 on the year. It is the first win against a ranked opponent on the season for the Saints.
 
"It was awesome," head coach Moe Boyle said of the win over Hastings. "We played with a true since of competitive will. It wasn't an easy battle. Every single point was contested and they had a great crowd. It was exciting to see the girls overcome the adversity."
 
The biggest moment of the match came in the second set. The Saints trailed 24-21 and the rowdy Hastings crowd was on their feet. The Saints then went on a 6-1 run to close out the game and earn the 27-25 win.
 
Crystal Schmidt tallied 11 kills and five blocks and Holly Morehouse had 14 kills to lead the Saints to the win.
 
"Crystal Schmidt did a great job against Hastings, she has a few key blocks and a couple huge kills on overpasses by their defense," Boyle said. "Holly Also had a fe resounding blocks that really affected momentum."
 
Jonni Dorr had a solid performance with 28 assists and three service aces. Becca Sweeney had 20 digs to lead the Saints. Brielle Bumgarner had a team0high seven kills.
 
The win was big for Boyle considering the performance of her team just hours before. The Saints fell against No. 4 Midland.
 
"Three hours earlier we might have folded," Boyle said of the Hastings match. "We didn't play with emotion and we still almost took the No. 4 team in the country to five sets. I think it finally clicked for the team that they are capable of playing and beating the best in the country."
 
Boyle is excited about her team's performance and believes that this win will translate to improved performance because of the way that is happened.
 
"I think they played of reach other. Everyone focused on their job because they didn't want to let the team down," Boyle said.  "We did a great job getting balls up that we gotten up haven't before and putting balls down that we haven't taken care of at all this season. There was just a competitive spirit that I haven't seen."
 
The Saints close out the tournament with two matches Saturday. They begin the day at 12 p.m. MST against Concordia (Neb.) and close out the tournament against Peru State (Neb.).