DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Loras headed into the Cornell Classic looking to upset some of the nation's best on Saturday, a day after seven of the nations top teams were taken down. The Duhawks opened up tournament play with a clash with No. 2 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Although, Loras was able to play tight sets, the Pointers took the match 3-0. With little rest, the Duhawks finished the day with a match against No. 16 University of St. Thomas. Once again, the Duhawks stayed close in each of the sets but ultimately fell 3-0.
 
The Pointers opened up set one with a 3-0 run before junior Kara Kentner got the Duhawks on the board with a kill. Moments later, it was Kentner again as a smart roll brought the Duhawks within one, 4-3.
 
Clawing their way back from every Pointer run, Loras knotted the score at 14 after a serve by freshman Haley Bergan caused a UW-Stevens Point miscue. The Pointers responded quickly however, to take the next point and regain the lead.
 
The one point Duhawk deficit only lasted momentarily as junior Taylor Serrano crushed a ball for the kill. Serrano's big hit was followed up quickly by a kill down the line from junior Liz Jendra. The kill gave Loras their first lead of the game, 16-15. 
 
After trading points, sophomore Therese Schultz put the Duhawks back on top, 18-17, tipping the ball just over the block and out of the reach of the Pointers defense. 
Unfortunately, Loras' lead was short lived. An error on the part of the Duhawks sparked a 5-0 run for the Pointers, giving them the 22-18 edge. 
 
A kill from Danni Kennedy ended the run, but not for long as UW-Stevens Point closed out set one 25-20.
 
Schultz started things off for the Duhawks in set two. Her kill was quickly followed by a tip by Kentner, putting the Duhawks ahead 2-0.
 
The Pointers fought back to take a 5-4 lead, their first of the set. Consecutive plays by Kentner allowed Loras to temporarily regain control, 6-5. 
 
Trailing 17-13, the Duhawks made one last push. Kentner led the charge with back-to-back kills to cut the Pointer lead to two, before a miscue by UW-Stevens Point brought them within one, 17-16. 
 
After a rally by the Pointers put them ahead, 20-18, Loras came charging back. Another kill by Kentner was followed by a solo block by junior Liz Jendra leveled the score at 20. 
 
A pair of kills by the Pointers attack accompanied by a Duhawk error, put UW-Stevens Point ahead 23-21 before Serrano put one away to bring Loras within one. 
The Pointers earned won the point on the ensuing serve to take a 24-22 lead. In the end, the Duhawks hard hitting was out done by the hustle of the Pointers as a long rally ended with a UW-Stevens Point kill for the set win, 25-22. 
 
In set three, the Duhawks found themselves tied at six. The even slate did not last long as a Pointer roll was just out of the reach of senior Courtney Boyd. The kill sparked a UW-Stevens Point run, as they took control, 9-6.
 
A kill by Kentner fueled a Loras comeback. The smart tip of was followed up by kills from Blake and Jendra before the two paired up to deny the Pointers attack. The block pulled the Duhawks within one, 12-11. 
 
UW-Stevens Point bounced back quickly however, extending their lead to 19-15. A late comeback effort by the Duhawks would fall short as the Pointers went on to take the set 25-19, and the match 3-0.
 
Following the loss to UW-Stevens Point, Duhawk Head Coach Jenna Ness elected to make a few tweaks to the lineup. The most notable of those changes was at libero where Bergan stepped in, replacing Boyd. 
 
With a new lineup, Loras hit the court looking to top the Tommies and earn a split at the Cornell Classic. St. Thomas opened the game up with a 3-0 run before Kentner smashed a ball to put the Duhawks on the board.
 
Trailing by a point in the early goings, the Duhawks fought back to tie it up at 12 as Jendra pushed a ball down the line. 
 
After the Tommies regained the lead, 13-15, Angeli set Blake up for the kill. On the ensuing play, Blake and Kennedy denied the attack attempt of St. Thomas. The block tied the score and shifted the momentum in favor of the Duhawks.
 
The Duhawks and Tommies traded points to an even score at 19 before a St. Thomas error gave Loras their first lead of the match, 20-19. Unfortunately for the Duhawks, that was their only lead of the set as St. Thomas closed out the set for the 25-23 win, to put Loras down 0-1 in the match.
 
In set two, the Duhawks were plagued by a slow start. The Tommies jumped out to a 14-7 lead before a kill by Jendra ended an 8-1 run by St. Thomas. 
 
Blake followed Jendra's lead and crushed a ball down the line for the kill. Bergan continued to Duhawk run with an ace that split the Tommies serve receive, landing in between a pair of St. Thomas players. 
 
On the next play, Loras showcased its versatility as Kennedy earned the assist on a Blake kill. Blake quickly returned the favor, setting up Kennedy on the next play, pulling the Duhawks within three, 14-11.
Unfortunately for Loras, that's as close as they would get as St. Thomas closed out set two on a 11-1 run to take the set, 25-12. 
 
Looking to force a fourth set, sophomore setter Jenna Erickson wasted no time getting the Duhawks rolling. Erickson opened the game up with three aces while two other stifling serves led to errors at the hands of the Tommies. 
 
Kills by Kentner and Kennedy were followed up with an ace by junior Christina Angeli to give the Duhawks their largest lead of the day, 8-3. 
 
Continually forcing the Tommies to play out of system, Loras held a 10-5 edge before St. Thomas made some adjustments. The Tommies brought in stronger hitters up front to counter the outstanding play of Kentner. 
 
The move seemed to work, as St. Thomas knotted the score at 10, forcing Loras to call a timeout. 
 
Out of the break, the Tommies took their first lead of the set, 11-10, before pushing it to 12-10. 
 
Luckily for the Duhawks, the two-point deficit did not last long as Schultz kick started a run. Kentner followed Schultz's kill up with a dump to the middle and a a momentum swinging kill off of a Tommie. Another stellar serve from Erickson resulted in an ace, to give the Duhawks the lead.
 
After a kill by Kennedy, the St. Thomas coaching staff had seen enough. With the Duhawks ahead, 15-13, the Tommies took a timeout.
 
Out of the timeout, Erickson's serve was mishandled by the St. Thomas serve receive for another ace, pushing Loras' lead to four.
 
At that point, the momentum escaped the Duhawks. The Tommies fought back to tie the score at 20 before closing the match on a 5-0 run, taking the set, 25-20.
 
The new lineup seemed to work well for Ness and her squad. Bergan led the charge with a career-high 21 digs. 
 
"Haley fought for every point out there," Ness said. "She brought energy and showed a lot of grit."
 
The Duhawks move to 4-7 on the season following Saturday's losses but Ness knows that there is more to the record.
 
"We play tough teams for a reason," Ness said. "The strong start to the season has helped prepare us for conference play."
 
Loras opens up conference play on Wednesday, September 17 as they host the Luther Norse in the Dig for a Cure game. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.