OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team battled through five sets to defeat Kansas Wesleyan University, 3-2 (25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 12-25, 15-7), on Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field House. Ottawa University libero earned her 1,000th career dig with her 25th dig of the match. She is the 11th OU women's volleyball player to reach the 1,000 dig milestone.
The Braves jumped out to a two-set lead before the Coyotes rallied to force a decisive fifth set. Ottawa responded with its best offensive performance of the afternoon, hitting .438 in the final set to secure the conference victory.
How It Happened
Set One:
Ottawa came out strong in the opening set, taking an early 6-3 lead behind kills from Gray, Conard and Stark, along with a service ace from
Jezebel Hobbs. The Braves maintained their advantage and extended the lead to 16-11 following consecutive Kansas Wesleyan attack errors.
The Coyotes battled back, cutting Ottawa's lead to 20-18 and forcing a Braves timeout. Ottawa responded with a kill from
Tymerian Carrathus and another from Cherry to push the advantage to 22-19. A block by Conard and Stark gave the Braves a 23-19 lead before Stark recorded a kill to reach set point. A block by Stark and
Bailee Nickel sealed the 25-20 victory.
Ottawa finished the opening set with 10 kills and a .143 attacking percentage while limiting Kansas Wesleyan to a .045 hitting percentage.
Set Two:
The Braves carried their momentum into the second set, racing to a 4-0 lead behind two kills from Cherry, one from Stark and a block by Cherry and Stark.
Kansas Wesleyan pulled within 12-10, but Ottawa responded with a decisive 7-0 run to extend its lead to 19-10. During the run, Gray recorded consecutive kills, Conard added a kill, and the Braves collected several key blocks.
Ottawa maintained control down the stretch, with Stark and Carrathus recording late kills. Cherry finished the set with a kill to give the Braves a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Braves recorded 13 kills and hit .167 while holding the Coyotes to a .047 attacking percentage.
Set Three:
Ottawa looked to complete the sweep, opening the third set with a 6-1 advantage behind three early kills from Stark, a kill from Conard, a kill from Nickel and a service ace from Gray.
The Coyotes rallied to tie the set at 12-12, but Ottawa responded with a 7-2 run to take a 19-14 lead. Cherry, Carrathus and Gray contributed kills during the stretch, while the Braves benefited from several Kansas Wesleyan attacking errors.
Kansas Wesleyan answered with an 8-3 run to tie the score at 22-22. Nickel gave Ottawa a 23-22 advantage with a kill, but the Coyotes scored the final three points to take the set 25-23.
Ottawa recorded 15 kills and hit .186 in the third set.
Set Four:
The Coyotes carried their momentum into the fourth set, building a 10-3 advantage. Ottawa attempted to rally behind kills from Conard and Cherry, cutting the deficit to 11-6.
Kansas Wesleyan continued to control the set, extending its lead to 17-7. Gray and Cherry added kills for the Braves, but the Coyotes maintained their advantage and secured a 25-12 victory to force a fifth set.
Ottawa struggled offensively in the fourth, recording six kills and seven attack errors for a -.026 hitting percentage.
Set Five:
With the match on the line, the Braves responded in impressive fashion.
Cherry opened the decisive set with a kill, and Gray followed with another to give Ottawa a quick 2-0 advantage. Stark and Conard added kills as the Braves extended their lead to 5-1, forcing a Kansas Wesleyan timeout.
The Coyotes trimmed the deficit to 7-5, but Conard answered with a kill to give Ottawa an 8-5 advantage at the change of sides. An attack error by Kansas Wesleyan and a kill from
Una Grbic helped the Braves extend their lead to 10-6.
Grbic followed with a service ace, and Gray added a kill to push Ottawa's advantage to 12-7. Back-to-back blocks by Stark and Cherry gave the Braves match point at 14-7.
Schuman finished the match with a service ace, securing the 15-7 victory and completing Ottawa's five-set conference win.
The Braves were nearly unstoppable offensively in the fifth set, recording eight kills with just one attack error on 16 attempts for a .438 hitting percentage. Ottawa held Kansas Wesleyan to a .053 hitting percentage in the final set.
Statistical Breakdown
- Kira Cherry: 12 kills, .290 hitting percentage, seven block assists and 15.5 points.
- Campbell Stark: 11 kills, .250 hitting percentage, 11 block assists and a team-high 16.5 points.
- Rilyn Conard: 11 kills, three block assists and 12.5 points.
- Ciara Gray: Nine kills, two service aces, two block assists and 12 points.
- Bailee Nickel: Five kills, 16 digs and two block assists.
- Carson Schuman: Match-high 25 digs, two assists and one service ace.
- Madison Brauner: Team-high 24 assists.
- Makela Martinez: 21 assists and seven digs.
- Katie Bertrand: Nine digs.
- Una Grbic: Seven digs, one kill and one service ace.
- Tymerian Carrathus: Three kills and three block assists.
- Jezebel Hobbs: One service ace and two digs.
Who is Next
The Braves (7-9, 4-2) returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 17 in Lindsborg, Kan. against Bethany College. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
