LINDSBORG, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team turned in a dominant performance on Saturday, Oct. 17, sweeping Bethany College 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17) in Hahn Gymnasium.
The Braves controlled the match from the opening serve, using a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive play to secure the road victory. Ottawa finished with 47 kills and a .257 attacking percentage while limiting the Swedes to 30 kills and a .052 hitting percentage.
Bailee Nickel led the Ottawa offense with a match-high 16 kills, hitting .394 and adding 19 digs.
Campbell Stark contributed 11 kills and six block assists, while
Ciara Gray finished with eight kills.
Carson Schuman anchored the Braves' back row with a match-high 22 digs.
Set One:
Ottawa wasted little time establishing control of the opening set, scoring the first 12 points of the match behind the serving of
Madison Brauner. The early surge featured kills from Gray,
Rilyn Conard and Stark, along with two service aces from Brauner.
The Braves extended their advantage to 14-1 following a kill by Nickel. Bethany attempted to work its way back into the set, cutting Ottawa's lead to 16-8, but the Braves maintained control.
With Ottawa leading 18-10, Stark and Gray delivered consecutive kills to push the advantage back to 10 points. The Braves closed the opening set with three kills from Nickel over their final four points, including the set winner, to take a 25-15 victory.
Ottawa recorded 15 kills and hit .255 in the first set while holding Bethany to eight kills and a .037 attacking percentage.
Set Two:
Bethany came out stronger in the second set, taking an early 5-3 lead. The Braves responded with kills from Nickel,
Kira Cherry and Gray to tie the score at 9-9.
After the Swedes regained an 11-9 advantage, Ottawa answered with three consecutive points to take its first lead of the set at 12-11. The teams continued to battle before a kill from Stark gave the Braves a 14-13 lead.
Ottawa used a 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from Conard and Nickel, to extend its advantage to 17-13. The Braves continued to apply pressure, building a 20-15 lead following a block by Gray and
Tymerian Carrathus.
Bethany made a late push, cutting the deficit to 22-20, but Ottawa held off the rally. A service error by the Swedes and an attacking error pushed the Braves to set point. Stark delivered the final kill to give Ottawa the 25-21 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Braves finished the second set with 14 kills and a .189 attacking percentage.
Set Three:
The Braves carried their momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage behind kills from Cherry and Stark and strong play at the net.
Back-to-back kills from Nickel extended Ottawa's lead to 9-4, forcing a Bethany timeout. The Swedes responded with a 6-1 run to tie the set at 10-10.
The teams traded points before Bethany took a 13-12 lead on a service ace from Ashlynn Gehring.
Ottawa answered in impressive fashion, scoring seven consecutive points to take a commanding 19-13 advantage. Nickel fueled the run with four kills, while
Haven Jones added another kill and Stark and Nickel combined for a block.
Bethany cut the lead to 19-17, but the Braves would not allow another point. Ottawa scored the final six points of the match, highlighted by two kills from Jones and two from Nickel.
Jezebel Hobbs sealed the sweep with a service ace, giving Ottawa the 25-17 victory.
The Braves saved their best offensive performance for the final set, recording 18 kills and hitting .361 while holding Bethany to eight kills and a .054 attacking percentage.
Ottawa Statistical Leaders
- Bailee Nickel: Led all players with 16 kills, a .394 attacking percentage, 19 digs and two block assists.
- Campbell Stark: Finished with 11 kills, a .391 attacking percentage and a match-high six block assists.
- Ciara Gray: Recorded eight kills, five digs and three block assists.
- Kira Cherry: Tallied five kills, a .286 attacking percentage and one block assist.
- Madison Brauner: Led the Braves with 19 assists, adding 15 digs and two service aces.
- Makela Martinez: Contributed 12 assists and eight digs.
- Carson Schuman: Led all players with 22 digs and added seven assists.
- Rilyn Conard: Finished with three kills and five block assists.
- Haven Jones: Added three kills and two digs.
- Jezebel Hobbs: Recorded one service ace and two assists.
Who is Next
Ottawa (8-9, 5-2) returns to the court on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in Winfield, Kan. against Southwestern College. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
