YORK, Neb. – On Wednesday evening, the Southwestern College volleyball team made their longest trip of the season to York, Neb., as they faced off with the York University Panthers. The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) bout was an opportunity for Southwestern to get back into the win column, and the Builders were able to do just that with a nail-biting 3-2 win over the homestanding Panthers.

In the early stages, each team played very similar games, as York held a 14-13 kill advantage over the Moundbuilders in set one. Luckily, SC committed just four errors, while the Panthers made six miscues as attackers. The Builders scored the final four points of the set with a 21-20 lead to earn a 25-20 triumph in the opener. Daci Stover was responsible for finishing three of the last four points for Southwestern.

The second set was pretty much controlled by York, as Southwestern struggled mightily to get anything going on offense. With just six kills and seven total errors in the set, SC finished the stanza with a negative attacking percentage at -.026. The Panthers had 16 kills on 42 swings with eight mistakes, far outpacing the efforts of the Builders. It was a 25-20 win for York in set two.

Southwestern would fire out of the gate on offense in the third set, though York matched their vigor. A 20-kill set for SC, in which they committed seven errors, was combatted by a 17-kill showing from the Panthers with just four missteps. Things were tight the entire way in the set, though in the end, York did just enough to take the 28-26 triumph to take a 2-1 lead.

In the match's fourth period of play, Southwestern was facing the reality that they were on the precipice of another loss. In an encouraging turn, Southwestern took care of business in the fourth set with a 25-22 win. They had 17 kills on 44 tries with just five miscues, outdoing the 14-kill performance by York in the same stanza. It was the Builders' best percentage on offense to that point, as they boasted a .273 clip in the penultimate set.

A winner-take-all set number five would decide this battle, as both squads had battled valiantly to this point in the fight. In what was another back-and-forth affair, Southwestern narrowly scooted past the Panthers with a 19-17 win in the final period. After leading 11-8, SC allowed York to take a 16-15 lead, but the Builders were resilient. They scored four of the final five points to take a 3-2 win over the home side.

Beyond her efforts in the first set, Stover was the most effective Moundbuilder attacker in this battle. She had 17 putaways on 32 swings, with just five errors in the process. That performance put her at .375 for the evening, as she was followed by Hannah Weber with 15 kills on 51 tries (.216) and Brianna Ede with 12 kills in 29 attempts (.345).

As a distributor of the ball, Sierra Norlin racked up an enormous 34 assists in the tilt. She played a major role in the effectiveness of the SC offense with her play. Maela Stevens enjoyed a strong match with 19 dimes, as well, while Sophia Wicker added seven assists to the team's tally.

Wicker was a dig machine, yet again, as she picked up 36 Panther attacks on the night. Norlin and Weber each added 16 digs, Stevens racked up 14, and Kinley Williams put up 10 to round out the top five.

Though it was difficult to attain, the win for Southwestern (8-11, 4-4 KCAC) was a sweet one. They head back home at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 21 for a non-conference battle with Randall University inside Stewart Field House, before driving south to Alva, Okla. for a pair of matches at Northwestern Oklahoma State University at the NW Oklahoma State Triangular.

--buildersports.com--