PARKVILLE, Mo. — The Ottawa University women's volleyball team battled Park University on Wednesday evening, taking the third set before falling to the Pirates, 3-1, in Parkville, Mo. Park earned the victory by scores of 25-20, 26-24, 19-25 and 25-22.
Ottawa finished the match with 37 kills and 25 attack errors on 114 attempts for a .105 attacking percentage. The Braves recorded 36 assists, four service aces, 48 digs and 10 total blocks. Park finished with 55 kills and hit .206.
Set One: Park 25, Ottawa 20
The opening set went back and forth early, with neither team able to create much separation. Ottawa took an 8-7 lead on a service ace by
Jezebel Hobbs, and the Braves remained within one at 16-17. Park responded with a run to build a 23-18 advantage.
Bailee Nickel and
Madison Brauner recorded late kills for OU, but the Pirates closed out the set, 25-20.
Set Two: Park 26, Ottawa 24
Ottawa battled back after falling behind 11-6. The Braves used a 5-1 run to pull within 12-11 and later turned a 16-18 deficit into a 21-18 lead.
Ciara Gray and
Tymerian Carrathus had kills during the surge. After Park tied the set at 21-21, Nickel put Ottawa in front 23-22. The teams were tied again at 24 before Park scored the final two points to escape with the 26-24 win.
Set Three: Ottawa 25, Park 19
The Braves responded with their best offensive set of the match, hitting .259 with 11 kills and only four errors. With Ottawa holding a 12-11 advantage, OU went on a run to take control. Blocks involving
Kira Cherry,
Tymerian Carrathus and
Campbell Stark helped the Braves create separation, while kills by Cherry and Gray pushed the lead to 19-13. A Brauner ace made it 21-14, and Nickel finished off the set with the final point for a 25-19 Ottawa victory.
Set Four: Park 25, Ottawa 22
Ottawa jumped in front 7-5 before Park answered and eventually built a 15-9 advantage. The Braves refused to go away. OU used an 8-2 run, highlighted by a Brauner service ace, a Gray ace and kills from Nickel, to tie the set at 17-17. Ottawa later moved in front 19-18 on a Nickel kill and held a 20-19 advantage. Park answered with four straight points to take a 23-20 lead. Nickel and Cherry pulled OU within 23-22, but the Pirates scored the final two points to close out the match.
Statistical Breakdown
- Bailee Nickel led Ottawa with 14 kills and added 15 digs for a double-double. She also had two block assists and finished with a team-high 15 points.
- Ciara Gray finished with seven kills, six digs, one service ace and two block assists.
- Kira Cherry recorded five kills, three digs, one solo block and one block assist.
- Campbell Stark totaled five kills and was a force at the net with two solo blocks and four block assists.
- Madison Brauner led the Braves with 17 assists and tied for the team lead with two service aces.
- Makela Martinez added 11 assists and five digs.
- Carson Schuman finished with 13 digs and three assists.
- Tymerian Carrathus had two kills on three attacks for a .333 hitting percentage and added two block assists.
- Ottawa hit a match-best .294 in the first set and followed with a .259 percentage in its third-set victory.
- The Braves finished with 37 kills, 36 assists, four aces, 48 digs and 10 total blocks.
Who is Next
Ottawa (2-2) returns to the court at the CSM Labor Day Classic in Omaha, Neb. on Friday, Sept. 4 and Saturday, Sept. 5. The Braves will play four matches against no. 2 Northwestern College, no. 3 Concordia University, no. 20 Morningside University, and no. 11 Dakota Wesleyan University.
