OTTAWA, Kan. – The Ottawa University women's volleyball team earned its second straight KCAC victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Tabor College in five sets (25-22, 20-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-10) inside Wilson Field House.
The Braves improved to 5-7 overall and 2-0 in KCAC play, overcoming a fourth-set setback to capture the deciding fifth set. Ottawa finished with 57 kills, a .200 attacking percentage and 65 digs.
Campbell Stark led the Braves with 13 kills, while
Rilyn Conard and
Ciara Gray added 10 kills apiece. Ottawa also received contributions from
Madison Brauner, who recorded 18 assists and 10 digs, and
Carson Schuman, who finished with 11 digs and seven assists.
How It Happened
Set One:
Tabor opened the match by scoring the first three points and extended its advantage to 8-4. The Braves responded with five consecutive points, highlighted by a service ace from
Bailee Nickel and two kills from Gray, to take a 9-8 lead.
Ottawa extended its advantage to 16-12 before Tabor answered with six straight points to move ahead 18-16. The Braves battled back, tying the set at 19-19 before scoring three consecutive points to take a 22-19 lead.
Tabor pulled within one point at 23-22, but a block by
Makela Martinez and
Kira Cherry gave Ottawa set point. Stark followed with a kill to secure the 25-22 victory and give the Braves a 1-0 match advantage.
Set Two:
The second set featured a competitive start before Tabor established control. With the score tied at 4-4, the Bluejays scored four of the next five points to take an 8-5 lead.
Tabor extended its advantage to 12-7, forcing an Ottawa timeout. The Bluejays continued to build their lead, moving ahead 20-12 and eventually reaching set point at 24-15.
The Braves refused to go quietly, scoring five consecutive points behind kills from Gray, Conard and Stark to cut the deficit to 24-20. Tabor ended Ottawa's comeback with a kill to win the set 25-20 and even the match at 1-1.
Set Three:
Ottawa responded with an impressive third-set performance, recording a match-high 16 kills and a .273 attacking percentage.
After dropping the opening point, the Braves scored four consecutive points to take a 4-1 advantage. Ottawa continued its momentum, building an 8-3 lead behind kills from Stark, Gray,
Una Grbic and
Zoey Huerta.
The Braves maintained control throughout the set, extending their lead to 15-9 following a block by Huerta and Conard. Consecutive kills from Huerta helped Ottawa build an 18-11 advantage.
Ottawa stretched its lead to 22-14 before Stark recorded two late kills. Conard finished the set with a kill, securing a 25-16 victory and giving the Braves a 2-1 match lead.
Set Four:
Tabor answered in the fourth set, overcoming an early Ottawa advantage to force a deciding fifth set.
The Braves opened with a kill from Gray and held a 3-2 advantage before the Bluejays scored four consecutive points to move ahead 6-3.
Tabor extended its lead to 11-6 and eventually 15-7. Ottawa attempted to rally, receiving kills from Grbic, Conard and Nickel, but the Bluejays maintained their advantage.
Trailing 24-18, the Braves scored three consecutive points behind kills from Huerta and Conard to pull within three. Tabor responded with a kill to secure the 25-21 victory and force a fifth set.
Set Five:
The Braves delivered when it mattered most, overcoming an early deficit to capture the match.
Tabor jumped ahead 3-1 before Ottawa answered with kills from Nickel and Stark to take a 4-3 lead. After the Bluejays tied the set at 4-4, the Braves seized control with five consecutive points.
A block by Conard and Stark started the run, followed by a Tabor attack error and a kill from Conard. Another Bluejay attack error extended Ottawa's advantage to 9-4.
Tabor attempted to rally, cutting the Braves' lead to 12-9. However,
Haven Jones delivered a kill to give Ottawa a 13-9 advantage.
Leading 13-10, the Braves closed out the match with consecutive points. A block by Huerta and Jones brought Ottawa to match point before Jones recorded the final kill to secure the 15-10 victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Campbell Stark led Ottawa with 13 kills, a .259 attacking percentage and three block assists.
- Rilyn Conard recorded 10 kills, hit .231 and finished with five block assists.
- Ciara Gray added 10 kills.
- Una Grbic finished with seven kills, a .238 attacking percentage and 11 digs.
- Bailee Nickel recorded six kills, 11 digs and one service ace.
- Zoey Huerta finished with five kills, a team-high .400 attacking percentage and five block assists.
- Madison Brauner recorded a team-high 18 assists and 10 digs, completing a double-double.
- Makela Martinez added 16 assists, seven digs and one block assist.
- Carson Schuman finished with 11 digs, seven assists and one service ace.
- Haven Jones contributed two kills and two block assists, including the match-winning kill.
- Ottawa finished with 57 kills, 50 assists, 65 digs, two service aces and nine total team blocks.
- The Braves recorded a .200 attacking percentage, compared to Tabor's .166.
- Ottawa held Tabor to a negative .069 attacking percentage in the decisive fifth set.
Who is Next
Ottawa (5-7, 2-0) returns to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 30 in Kansas City, Mo. against Avila University. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
