WINFIELD, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team overcame a first-set loss to defeat Southwestern College 3-1 (19-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-18) on Wednesday evening at Stewart Fieldhouse.
The Braves responded to the opening-set setback by winning three consecutive sets, hitting .316 as a team and recording 47 kills, eight service aces, and nine total blocks.
Bailee Nickel led the Braves with 13 kills and 12 digs, recording a double-double while hitting .314.
Ciara Gray added 11 kills, and
Campbell Stark finished with nine kills and a match-high .500 attacking percentage.
Kira Cherry contributed seven kills without an attacking error, hitting .389.
How It Happened
Set One: Southwestern 25, Ottawa 19
Southwestern jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of its offensive attack to build a 10-4 advantage. Ottawa battled back behind kills from Gray, Nickel, and Cherry, cutting the deficit to 13-12 following a service ace by Gray.
The Moundbuilders responded with a seven-point run to extend their lead to 20-12. Ottawa refused to go away, using kills from
Madison Brauner,
Rilyn Conard, and
Tymerian Carrathus to cut into the deficit. A kill by Nickel and a block from Cherry and Carrathus brought the Braves within 23-19.
Southwestern scored the final two points to take the opening set, 25-19. The Braves hit .321 with 12 kills, but Southwestern finished with 17 kills and a .406 attacking percentage.
Set Two: Ottawa 25, Southwestern 13
Ottawa took control early in the second set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead behind a service ace from Brauner and several Southwestern errors.
The Braves extended their advantage to 10-5 following back-to-back kills by Gray. Ottawa continued to build momentum with kills from Cherry, Stark, and Nickel.
Leading 14-9, Ottawa put together a three-point run highlighted by a service ace from
Makela Martinez and kills from Nickel and Cherry, forcing Southwestern to call a timeout with the Braves ahead 17-9.
Ottawa maintained its offensive rhythm, extending the lead to 23-12 before Cherry delivered another kill to bring up set point. A block by Conard and Stark secured the 25-13 victory and evened the match at one set apiece.
The Braves hit .296 in the set while holding Southwestern to a .174 attacking percentage.
Set Three: Ottawa 25, Southwestern 18
The third set featured a competitive start, with the teams trading points through the opening stages. Trailing 7-6, Ottawa used a kill from Cherry to tie the set before taking its first lead at 8-7.
Carson Schuman followed with a service ace, and Gray added a kill to give the Braves a 10-7 advantage. Ottawa continued its run with kills from Stark and a block by Cherry and Stark, extending the lead to 13-7.
The Braves maintained control throughout the middle portion of the set, building a 15-8 advantage behind another block from Gray and Stark.
Southwestern attempted to rally, but Ottawa answered with kills from Nickel, Carrathus, and Stark to keep the Moundbuilders at a distance.
Leading 23-18, Ottawa closed the set with consecutive Southwestern attacking errors, including a block by Conard and Stark, to claim the 25-18 victory.
The Braves recorded 14 kills and hit a match-best .353 in the third set.
Set Four: Ottawa 25, Southwestern 18
Southwestern opened the fourth set with five consecutive points, putting Ottawa in an early 5-0 hole.
The Braves began their comeback behind kills from Gray and Stark. Trailing 11-7, Schuman delivered a service ace to spark a five-point run that tied the set at 11-11.
After Southwestern briefly regained the lead, Ottawa answered with a service error by the Moundbuilders and a service ace from Brauner to take a 13-12 advantage.
Brauner continued to provide a spark, adding another service ace and setting up kills by Stark and Conard as the Braves extended their lead to 16-12.
With Ottawa leading 18-15, the Braves put together another five-point run, highlighted by two kills from Nickel and a block by
Zoey Huerta and
Addison Swart, extending the advantage to 23-15.
Southwestern scored three of the next four points, but an attacking error by the Moundbuilders secured Ottawa's 25-18 victory and the four-set match win.
The Braves held Southwestern to a .054 attacking percentage in the final set while hitting .280.
Inside the Numbers
- Bailee Nickel: Led Ottawa with 13 kills, 12 digs, one service ace, and one block assist. She finished with a .314 attacking percentage.
- Ciara Gray: Recorded 11 kills, three digs, one service ace, and one block assist while hitting .333.
- Campbell Stark: Finished with nine kills, six block assists, and a team-best .500 attacking percentage.
- Kira Cherry: Tallied seven kills on 18 attempts without an attacking error, finishing with a .389 hitting percentage and four block assists.
- Madison Brauner: Dished out a team-high 20 assists, added three service aces, five digs, and one kill.
- Makela Martinez: Recorded 18 assists, four digs, and one service ace.
- Carson Schuman: Finished with seven digs, six assists, and two service aces.
- Rilyn Conard: Added four kills and two block assists.
- Jezebel Hobbs: Contributed six digs.
- Ottawa Offense: The Braves recorded 47 kills on 114 attempts with 11 attacking errors for a .316 hitting percentage.
- Ottawa Defense: The Braves finished with 45 digs and nine total blocks, compared to Southwestern's 50 digs and two blocks.
- From the Service Line: Ottawa recorded eight service aces and four service errors.
- Southwestern Leaders: Mikki Johnson led the Moundbuilders with 16 kills, while Charli Richardson added 12 kills. Brooklyn Milleson recorded a match-high 20 digs.
Who is Next
Ottawa (9-9, 6-2) returns to the court on Saturday, Oct. 24 in Wilson Field House against York University. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
