OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team battled through five sets to defeat Evangel University, 3-2 (25-16, 25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 15-12), on Wednesday night at Wilson Field House.
The Braves took control early, winning the opening two sets before Evangel rallied to force a decisive fifth set. Ottawa responded by building a commanding lead in the final frame and holding off a late Valor comeback to secure the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference victory.
Set One:
Ottawa opened the match with strong defensive play, taking an early 2-0 lead behind blocks from
Campbell Stark and
Ciara Gray. The two teams traded points throughout the opening stages before a service ace by
Carson Schuman and a kill from Gray helped Ottawa take a 12-9 advantage.
After Evangel closed the gap, the Braves put together a decisive run. Ottawa turned a 13-13 tie into a 19-13 lead, highlighted by kills from
Rilyn Conard and
Bailee Nickel and strong play at the net.
Nickel continued to provide an offensive spark, recording several kills down the stretch.
Kira Cherry put Ottawa at set point with a kill, and
Makela Martinez finished the opening frame with a service ace to give the Braves a 25-16 victory.
Ottawa finished the set with 12 kills and a .206 attacking percentage while holding Evangel to a .036 hitting percentage.
Set Two:
The Braves carried their momentum into the second set, jumping ahead 2-0 before Evangel answered with four straight points. Ottawa responded with a 4-0 run to take a 7-5 lead, using kills from Conard and errors by the Valor.
The teams continued to exchange points before Ottawa created separation midway through the set. A kill by Cherry tied the score at 13-13, and the Braves followed with three of the next four points to take a 16-14 advantage.
Ottawa extended its lead to 23-18 behind kills from
Tymerian Carrathus and strong defensive pressure, including a block by Gray and Carrathus.
Evangel made a late push, scoring four straight points to cut Ottawa's lead to 23-22. However, Gray stopped the run with a kill, and Cherry followed with the set-winning kill to give Ottawa a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Braves recorded 12 kills and hit .190 in the second set.
Set Three:
Evangel came out aggressively in the third set, taking an early lead before Ottawa answered. The Braves kept the score close through the opening stages, with kills from Gray and Cherry helping Ottawa remain within striking distance.
Trailing 16-14, Ottawa rallied behind back-to-back kills from Gray and Cherry and a service ace from Schuman to take a 17-16 lead.
The Braves maintained a narrow advantage at 19-18, but Evangel responded with a three-point run to move ahead 21-19.
Ottawa pulled within one at 21-20, but the Valor scored three consecutive points to reach set point. A service error gave Ottawa another opportunity before Evangel closed the frame with a kill to win 25-21.
Ottawa finished the set with nine kills, while Evangel recorded 18 kills and hit .283.
Set Four:
Ottawa opened the fourth set with a kill from Gray, but Evangel responded and established an early advantage.
The Braves battled back from a 4-2 deficit, using a block by Conard and Carrathus and a kill from Nickel to move ahead 5-4.
Evangel answered with a four-point run, but Ottawa continued to fight. Trailing 10-6, the Braves scored four straight points, highlighted by a kill from Gray and a block by Gray and Carrathus, to tie the set at 10-10.
The Valor regained control with five consecutive points to take a 15-10 advantage. Ottawa continued to battle, cutting the deficit to 18-16 following a kill by
Una Grbic and an Evangel attacking error.
However, Evangel maintained its advantage down the stretch, closing the set 25-19 to force a fifth and deciding frame.
Set Five:
With the match on the line, Ottawa responded with a strong start in the fifth set.
Gray opened the frame with a kill, and Stark followed with a block to give Ottawa a 2-0 lead. Another kill from Gray and consecutive Evangel attacking errors extended the Braves' advantage to 5-2.
Ottawa continued to build its lead behind a block from Stark and Nickel and another kill from Nickel, taking a 7-3 advantage. The Braves led 8-4 at the changeover and extended their lead to 10-4 following a kill from Cherry.
The Braves maintained control, stretching their advantage to 13-6 before an Evangel service error gave Ottawa match point at 14-7.
Evangel refused to go away, scoring five consecutive points to cut Ottawa's lead to 14-12.
Following an Ottawa timeout, Grbic delivered the match-winning kill off an assist from
Madison Brauner, securing the 15-12 victory and the five-set conference win for the Braves.
Statistical Breakdown
- Ciara Gray: Tied for the team lead with 13 kills, seven digs, two service aces and three block assists.
- Bailee Nickel: Finished with 13 kills, 13 digs and three block assists.
- Kira Cherry: Recorded eight kills on a team-best .261 attacking percentage, seven digs and one block assist.
- Carson Schuman: Led Ottawa with 23 digs and added two service aces.
- Madison Brauner: Dished out a team-high 22 assists and collected 13 digs.
- Makela Martinez: Finished with 18 assists, five digs and one service ace.
- Campbell Stark: Led the Braves with two solo blocks and added four block assists and two kills.
- Tymerian Carrathus: Tallied three kills and four block assists.
- Katie Bertrand: Contributed eight digs.
Who is Next
Ottawa (6-9, 3-2) returns to the court on Saturday, October 10 in Wilson Field House against Kansas Wesleyan University. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
