WINFIELD, Kan. – Southwestern College's volleyball squad had been riding high after an impressive three-set victory over the Tabor College Bluejays on Wednesday, and that would not change on Saturday, as the Builders took care of the visiting Swedes of Bethany College by a 3-1 final. The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) battle was highly competitive, though the SC defense did its part to earn the victory.

"This team has been preparing for these upcoming games mentally and physically," said head coach Maggie Hans. "They have been executing our game plans beautifully, and it has been amazing to watch our growth and determination improve over the last few weeks. We will continue to get ready for the weeks to come, but are excited to progress and compete within the KCAC."

Set number one was all about the number of free balls that Southwestern was able to force with difficult shots for the Swedes to defend. The Builders would hold a 14-10 kill advantage at the conclusion of the set, despite committing seven errors as attackers. Bethany had 10 kills on only 37 attempts, as SC boasted a heavily superior 53 tries in the first set. The frame ended with a final of 25-21, as the four-kill difference was what gave Southwestern the win in the opener.

The script flipped in the opposite direction in the second stanza, though SC did have an opportunity to win the set. They led 21-18 in the late stages, but then allowed a 7-2 run to finish off the frame. That was indicative of the way that the set had gone, as Bethany had 15 kills to Southwestern's 11, while having eight more swings than the Builders. It would end up as a 25-23 win for Bethany in the set, but from that point forward, the Builders slammed the door when needed.

It was an effective attacking set from SC that occurred in the third frame, as a 16/4 kill-to-error ratio highlighted a .203 attacking frame from the Moundbuilders. Bethany had 14 kills, as well, but had seven miscues hurt them over the course of the stanza. By the end of the set, SC strolled to another 25-21 set win.

The deciding period of play came in the fourth frame, as Southwestern attacked eight less times than the Swedes, but converted two more kills than the visitors. Bethany did have a rather efficient set as attackers, but the Builders were able to stave off a late run by BC just enough to hold onto a 25-23 win to clinch the victory.

As an attacking squad in this bout, SC was able to do what was needed to earn the victory, and nearly had multiple hitters with 10 or more putaways. Hannah Weber led the side with 11 kills in the win. She hit at .174 for the afternoon. Jayda Brittenum and Brianna Ede showed out in the middle for SC in this one, as they each racked up nine putaways. Brittenum had a mightily impressive .304 attacking clip, while Ede came in at .161 for the match. KaSandra Lyons (8), Daci Stover (6) and Cierra Harrison (6) rounded out the list of Builders with five or more kills.

Sierra Norlin and Maela Stevens had nice days as passers in this one, tallying 23 and 22 assists, respectively. They did a great job spreading the ball around the floor to different attackers within system, which kept Bethany off balance.

It was a match that was simply dominated by the Moundbuilder defense, as Sophia Wicker posted a phenomenal 40 digs in the match, leading this SC defensive unit through action. Weber took Wicker's efforts to heart, adding 20 digs of her own to the fold. Additionally, Stevens (16), Harrison (13) and Norlin (11) came in above the 10-dig mark for the match.

"Today our defense was on point!", said Hans. "Sophia Wicker with 40 digs, and Hannah Weber with 20 definitely solidified our capabilities on to establish our offense."

The Builders (6-10, 2-3 KCAC) have continued to show great improvement over the course of this 2022 campaign, standing just one win shy of reaching the .500 mark in conference play. The squad's next chance to reach that milestone is on Tuesday, October 11 inside Stewart Field House for a bout with the Sterling College Warriors at 7 p.m.

--buildersports.com--