SPEARFISH, S.D. – Spearfish opened strong but was unable to maintain its early momentum Tuesday night, falling to St. Thomas More in straight sets, 25-22, 25-11, 25-16, at Spearfish High School.
The Spartans came out fast in the opening set, building a 10-3 lead and later holding a 14-8 advantage before the Cavaliers mounted a comeback. St. Thomas More erased the deficit with a six-point run and eventually pulled away late to claim the set 25-22.
The Cavaliers carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead and taking control on their way to a 25-11 victory. In the third set, St. Thomas More again built an early advantage and held off a late Spearfish push to complete the sweep with a 25-16 win.
Julia Billington led the Spartans with six kills, two aces, five digs and three solo blocks. Piper Jacobs added seven assists, three service aces and seven digs, while Addie Keller, Finley Bouman and Layla Meredith each finished with four kills.
Spearfish totaled 19 kills, 19 assists, seven service aces and 37 digs in the match. The Spartans move to 8-11 on the season, while St. Thomas More improves to 20-3 and will compete in the Twin Cities Volleyball Tournament in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, this weekend.
Spearfish, now having lost two of their last five, returns to action Saturday with matches against Mitchell and Tea Area in Mitchell.
