Lady Crusaders win title, move to 17-0 on season

ST. LOUIS - The Helias Lady Crusaders went 8-0 to win the Gateway Matchup Tournament over the weekend while improving to 17-0 on the season.

In pool play Helias opened with a 25-21, 25-22 win against St. Dominic, before knocking off Lindbergh 25-13, 25-13.

From there, the Lady Crusaders defeated Villa Duchense, ranked by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as the No. 3 small-school team in the greater St. Louis area, 27-25, 25-22.

The Lady Crusaders capped off pool play as the only undefeated team in the 19-team tournament by beating Eureka, ranked No. 5 in the large-school division, 25-20, 25-18.

Helias beat Perryville 25-21, 25-19 in the first round of the tournament bracket and knocked off Lutheran South 25-20, 25-21 in the quarterfinals.

The Lady Crusaders claimed a 25-19, 25-21 against Parkway West, ranked tenth in the large-school division, in the semifinals before winning the championship game 25-20, 25-19 against Nerinx Hall.

Ashley Dudenhoeffer tallied 170 assists, 55 digs and 38 service points, while Erica Haslag had 47 kills, 35 service points and 18 blocks to help lead Helias in the tournament.

Lindsey Griggs finished with 45 kills, 32 service points, 78 digs and 10 blocks, while Laura Schieber had 41 kills, 48 service points and 51 digs. Tory Wiley added 44 kills, 22 digs and seven blocks, and Blake Berhorst chipped in with 55 digs for the Lady Crusaders.