PHILADELPHIA – It was a day for the seniors. It was a day for history. It was a day for clutch plays and clutch players. La Salle (13-12, 7-6) opened up a two-set lead against Saint Louis (15-10, 9-3) and a held on to win 3-2 on Senior Day. This was also the game where, early in the third set, senior Kathryn Wood served up her 25th assist of the afternoon and broke Molly Thatcher's all-time assists record of 4,309. This was a game where senior Devin Corah tallied nine kills and moved into second place in program history. This was a game that the Explorers were not going to lose. Not today.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It seemed fated to start. The Blue & Gold opened up a 12-2 lead, and although the Billikens closed to 13-7, a 7-4 La Salle burst put the home side up 20-11. After which, the Explorers took the opening set handily.
• A 5-1 start to the second for the visitors applied pressure on La Salle, which it handled well. The Blue & Gold didn't allow Saint Louis to stretch its advantage and, down 12-10, embarked on an 8-2 jaunt to give them the lead. A short burst of runs ensued: the Billikens took the next three points, La Salle took four and then Saint Louis took four. After that transpired, the Explorers were only up 22-21. Kills by Wood and junior Samantha Graver put La Salle at set point, and despite a two-point response from Saint Louis, the home side claimed the second set.
• The Blue & Gold began the third brightly up 5-2, which the Billikens reversed by rattling off six straight points. The visitors seemed determined to avoid the sweep and never allowed La Salle to lead again, although the Explorers would tie the set at 10-10 and 14-14. A 7-1 Billikens run proved to be a gap that the home team could not close.
• The momentum continued to be all Saint Louis heading into the fourth. It opened up with a 6-0 advantage. La Salle battled back to within four on a number of occasions (7-3, 8-4, 9-5, 10-6, 11-7), but the Billikens were just beginning to heat up. The away team took 10 of the next 13 points and all but finished the frame off.
• The fifth set was a testament to how badly this team wanted to win for its seniors. It was back-and-forth, neither side really separated with La Salle's 10-7 lead the most notable. St. Louis took four consecutive points and the lead, after which La Salle claimed five of the next six points and the game. 
• All of the points recorded by the Blue & Gold in the fifth came from non-seniors. Graver had five kills and an ace, junior Allison Laucella with a service ace, freshman Rachel Hess with a service ace, redshirt freshman Sarah Nahas with a service ace, and sophomore Elizabeth Osborn with a kill.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Wood makes history: 4,331 assists is where the record currently stands. She will undoubtedly continue to separate herself from Thatcher and the rest before she's done.
• La Salle's number three joined the 4,300-assist club on Sunday, and it's rarefied air. Only six other active D-1 players have achieved that mark.
• Corah passed Melissa Hodge and now sits at 1,306 kills for her career. She is the 34th active D-1 player to eclipse 1,300 kills in her career.
• The double-double race: Wood (46 assists, 13 digs) and Graver (16 kills, 15 digs) each tallied their 16th double-double of the season. For Wood, it's her fifth consecutive game with one.
• Senior standouts: Catherine Edgington and Corah combined for 19 kills and six blocks against the Billikens.
• On any other day, Osborn's outing would be the headliner. La Salle's number 11 finished with a career-best 20 kills.
• Hess continued to prove that she's among the best liberos in the conference, and certainly the best rookie in her position, tallying a game-high 20 digs.
• Only two days after Dayton dominated the box score, La Salle responded well against Saint Louis. The Explorers out-killed its opponent 59-46 and finished with eight more digs as well (69-61).

 
UP NEXT

• Having clinched a playoff spot, La Salle will look to move up the standings and position itself as well as it can. The regular season concludes next Saturday at Duquesne.