COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Ottawa University women's volleyball team pushed Central Methodist University to five sets Tuesday afternoon at the Southwell Complex before falling 3-2. The Braves won the second and fourth sets, but the Eagles held off OU in the deciding fifth set, 15-12 (25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 24-26, 15-12).
Set One: Central Methodist 25, Ottawa 23
Ottawa jumped out to a 2-0 advantage behind a kill from
Kira Cherry and a CMU attack error. Central Methodist responded and eventually built a four-point advantage, but the Braves battled back.
Campbell Stark and
Ciara Gray recorded back-to-back kills before a Stark/Gray block, an ace from
Madison Brauner and an Eagle attack error gave OU a 14-12 lead.
The teams traded momentum from there. A
Makela Martinez ace put Ottawa in front 20-19, and a
Tymerian Carrathus kill gave the Braves a 22-21 advantage. Central Methodist answered with three straight points to move ahead 24-22. Ottawa fought off one set point on a CMU service error, but Luciana Araujo closed out the frame with a kill, 25-23.
Set Two: Ottawa 25, Central Methodist 20
The Braves came out firing in the second. Ottawa scored the first four points, highlighted by a Cherry kill, a
Carson Schuman service ace and a block from Stark and Cherry. Gray helped extend the advantage with two early kills, and OU moved in front 11-5 on a CMU attack error.
Central Methodist tried to cut into the lead, but Ottawa continued to answer. Consecutive blocks by Stark and Gray pushed the Braves ahead 16-10. OU eventually reached set point at 24-19 following a solo block by Stark, and Stark finished the set with a kill to give Ottawa the 25-20 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
Ottawa hit a match-best .312 in the second set with 13 kills and only three attack errors.
Set Three: Central Methodist 25, Ottawa 17
The third set went back and forth early. Ottawa held a 3-1 lead after a Stark kill, but Central Methodist answered with five straight points to take control, 6-3. The Braves pulled within one, 10-9, following a block from Carrathus and
Bailee Nickel.
CMU then put together another run, stretching its advantage to 17-10. Ottawa could not recover as the Eagles hit .316 in the set with 16 kills and four errors. Central Methodist closed the frame 25-17 to take a 2-1 match lead.
Set Four: Ottawa 26, Central Methodist 24
With the match on the line, the Braves responded. Neither team could create much separation early, with the score tied 8-8. A Nickel service ace put Ottawa ahead 9-8, and kills from Cherry and Gray helped OU build a 13-10 advantage.
Ottawa extended its lead to 19-15 on a Martinez ace and later moved in front 22-18 on a Carrathus kill. Central Methodist rallied, however, scoring six of the next seven points to take a 24-23 lead and move within one point of winning the match. The Braves refused to fold. A CMU attack error tied the set, Nickel followed with a kill for a 25-24 advantage, and another Eagle attack error gave Ottawa the 26-24 victory to force a fifth set.
Set Five: Central Methodist 15, Ottawa 12
Central Methodist scored the first two points of the deciding set before Ottawa answered. The Braves used a Gray service ace and a Nickel kill to take a 5-3 lead. Another Gray ace stretched the advantage to 6-3 and forced an Eagle timeout.
CMU battled back to even the set before Ottawa regained the lead. A Gray kill gave OU an 11-10 advantage, but the Eagles responded down the stretch. Central Methodist scored five of the final six points to take the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
Inside the Box Score
- Kira Cherry finished with 12 kills, three digs and four block assists, totaling 14 points.
- Ciara Gray matched Cherry with 12 kills and added two service aces, five digs and three block assists for a team-high 15.5 points.
- Bailee Nickel recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 18 digs while adding two service aces and two block assists.
- Campbell Stark had eight kills and was a force at the net with two solo blocks and six block assists. She finished with 13 points.
- Rilyn Conard hit a team-best .417, finishing with six kills and only one error on 12 attacks.
- Una Grbic added six kills, while Tymerian Carrathus finished with four kills and three block assists.
- Madison Brauner led Ottawa with 28 assists and added eight digs and a service ace. Makela Martinez finished with 19 assists, six digs and two aces.
- Carson Schuman led the Braves defensively with 27 digs and added a service ace.
- Ottawa finished with 58 kills, 51 assists, eight service aces, 88 digs and 11 total blocks. The Braves hit .153 for the match.
- OU held Central Methodist to a .067 attack percentage in the fourth set, helping the Braves force the deciding fifth frame.
Who is Next
Ottawa (3-7) opens KCAC play on Wednesday, Sept. 23 in Wilson Field House against Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
