STERLING, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Sterling College on Saturday afternoon at the Gleason Center. The Braves defeated the Warriors 25-17, 20-25, 28-26, 25-21.
Ottawa was led by
Campbell Stark, who finished with a match-high 18 kills and a .548 attacking percentage.
Bailee Nickel added 14 kills and 12 digs, while
Carson Schuman anchored the Braves' defense with 25 digs.
The Braves finished with 60 kills, 87 digs, and a .195 attacking percentage. Ottawa held Sterling to a .137 attacking percentage and used a thrilling comeback in the third set to take control of the match.
How It Happened
Set One: Ottawa 25, Sterling 17
Ottawa came out strong in the opening set, taking an early 6-2 lead behind kills from Stark and Nickel. The Warriors battled back to tie the set at 9-9, but the Braves responded with a 7-1 run to take a 16-10 advantage.
Schuman recorded a service ace during the run, while Stark contributed consecutive kills to force a Sterling timeout.
The Braves continued to control the set, extending their lead to 24-15 following a block by
Tymerian Carrathus and
Kira Cherry. Sterling scored two straight points, but Nickel ended the set with a kill to give Ottawa the 25-17 victory.
Set Two: Sterling 25, Ottawa 20
Sterling responded in the second set, jumping out to a 12-7 lead. The Warriors extended their advantage to 14-8 before Ottawa began to chip away at the deficit.
Kills by Stark and
Rilyn Conard helped the Braves pull within 14-12. Ottawa continued its comeback, using a block by Carrathus and Cherry followed by a Cherry kill to cut Sterling's lead to 19-18.
The Warriors answered with three consecutive points to extend their lead to 22-18. Ottawa attempted another rally, but Sterling held on for the 25-20 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
Set Three: Ottawa 28, Sterling 26
The third set proved to be the turning point of the match as Ottawa overcame a six-point deficit to earn a dramatic 28-26 victory.
The Braves took an early 7-5 lead, but Sterling responded with a run to move ahead 13-9. Ottawa continued to battle, using kills from Cherry, Stark, and Conard to stay within striking distance.
Sterling eventually built a 21-15 advantage before Ottawa mounted its comeback. A Cherry kill started the rally, followed by a Sterling attack error and consecutive kills from
Una Grbic and Cherry to pull the Braves within 21-19.
After Sterling extended its lead to 24-21, Ottawa refused to go away. Stark recorded a kill, the Warriors committed an attack error, and Grbic delivered a kill to tie the set at 24-24.
A block by Stark and
Addison Swart gave Ottawa a 25-24 advantage. The teams traded points until the score reached 26-26. Nickel then delivered a kill to put Ottawa ahead 27-26, and a Sterling attack error secured the 28-26 victory.
The comeback gave the Braves a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set Four: Ottawa 25, Sterling 21
Ottawa carried its momentum into the fourth set, opening with a 7-3 advantage.
Makela Martinez recorded a service ace during the early run, and Nickel followed with back-to-back service aces to extend the Braves' lead to 10-4.
Ottawa continued to build its advantage behind the offensive play of Stark, Cherry, and Grbic. Consecutive kills by Stark helped the Braves take an 18-8 lead.
Sterling attempted to rally, scoring four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 18-12. Ottawa responded and eventually moved ahead 21-14 following a kill by Swart.
The Warriors made one final push, scoring five straight points to pull within 21-19. Swart ended the run with a kill, and Ottawa extended its advantage to 23-19 following a Sterling attack error.
Cherry delivered a kill to give Ottawa match point at 24-20. After Sterling scored once more, Grbic finished the match with a kill, securing the 25-21 victory and the four-set win for the Braves.
Inside the Box Score
- Campbell Stark led Ottawa with 18 kills, a .548 attacking percentage, two solo blocks, and six block assists. She finished with a match-high 23 points.
- Bailee Nickel recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. She also had two service aces and four block assists.
- Kira Cherry finished with eight kills, a .207 attacking percentage, five digs, and two block assists.
- Una Grbic contributed eight kills, a .300 attacking percentage, four digs, and one block assist in two sets played.
- Rilyn Conard recorded seven kills, four digs, and a .238 attacking percentage.
- Carson Schuman led the Braves defensively with 25 digs. She also had two assists and one service ace.
- Makela Martinez led Ottawa with 28 assists, adding nine digs, one service ace, and one block assist.
- Madison Brauner finished with 22 assists, seven digs, and one solo block.
- Katie Bertrand added 12 digs.
- Tymerian Carrathus finished with three kills and four block assists.
- Addison Swart contributed two kills on four attempts for a .500 attacking percentage and added one block assist.
- Ottawa finished with 60 kills, 56 assists, 87 digs, five service aces, and 13 total team blocks.
- The Braves hit .195 for the match, including a match-best .308 in the fourth set.
- Sterling finished with 52 kills, 85 digs, five service aces, and a .137 attacking percentage.
Who is Next
Ottawa (12-9, 9-2) returns to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 4 against the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
