PARKVILLE, Mo. — The Southwestern College volleyball team opened its 2026 season Friday with a pair of competitive four-set matches, falling to Hannibal-LaGrange University and Wayland Baptist University in nonconference action in Parkville.
The Builders (0-2) showed flashes on both sides of the net throughout the opening day, taking a set from each opponent while receiving strong performances from Macey Collier, Haleigh Weber and several other contributors.
Hannibal-LaGrange 3, Southwestern 1
Southwestern opened the day against Hannibal-LaGrange, falling 25-18, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20. The Builders finished with 42 kills, nine service aces, 67 digs and seven total blocks.
After dropping the opening set, Southwestern nearly evened the match in the second. The Builders battled back from a 23-19 deficit and used Olivia DeLeon service ace to pull even at 23. Hannibal-LaGrange answered with the final two points to escape with a 25-23 win and take a 2-0 advantage.
Southwestern responded with its strongest set of the match in the third. The Builders hit .208 while limiting the Trojans to a negative hitting percentage and earned a 25-19 victory to extend the match.
The Builders established a 17-13 advantage before Hannibal-LaGrange tied the set at 17. Southwestern then closed on an 8-2 run, with Autumn Bennett delivering the final kill for the 25-19 victory.
Hannibal-LaGrange answered in the fourth and eventually built a 22-11 advantage, but Southwestern refused to go quietly. The Builders put together a late 9-2 push to cut the deficit to 24-20 before the Trojans secured the final point and the match.
Bennett paced the Southwestern attack with 10 kills while hitting .273. Collier added nine kills on a .238 hitting percentage and made an impact at the net with five block assists. She finished with a team-high 12.5 points.
Kamryn Deffebaugh contributed eight kills, while Mikki Johnson finished with seven kills and two service aces. Weber was efficient in the middle, recording four kills without an attack error to hit .333.
Defensively, Brooklyn Milleson and Natalie Blaufuss shared the team lead with 16 digs a piece, while DeLeon added 14. Ayden Joely-Petroff distributed a team-high 19 assists and added four kills, three block assists and two service aces. Blaufuss chipped in 11 assists and two aces.
Wayland Baptist 3, Southwestern 1
Southwestern returned to the court later Friday and turned in an improved offensive performance against Wayland Baptist, but the Pioneers came away with a 26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17 victory.
The Builders produced 51 kills and hit .210 as a team while adding 75 digs and eight total blocks. Southwestern hit .200 or better in each of the first three sets, including a match-best .277 in the third.
The opening set featured 18 ties and five lead changes as neither side was able to create much separation. Southwestern fought off set point to tie the score at 24 before Wayland Baptist eventually captured the frame, 26-24.
Another tight battle followed in the second. Southwestern trailed 20-15 before mounting a late comeback, cutting the deficit to 24-23. The Pioneers managed to secure the next point and escape with a 25-23 victory.
Facing a two-set deficit, the Builders answered again in the third.
Southwestern trailed 20-15 before putting together one of its strongest stretches of the day. The Builders battled back to tie the set at 21 before a Blaufuss service ace gave Southwestern a 22-21 advantage. After Wayland Baptist pulled within 24-23, Collier and Joely-Petroff combined at the net on the final point to give the Builders a 25-23 victory.
Wayland Baptist responded in the fourth set and used an early advantage to take the match with a 25-17 win.
Collier delivered a standout offensive performance for Southwestern, putting down a match-high 14 kills on just 22 attempts with three errors for a .500 hitting percentage. She also added a service ace and finished with 15.5 points.
Weber was equally efficient in the middle. She recorded seven kills without committing an attack error on 10 swings, finishing with a .700 hitting percentage. Weber also led the Builders' presence at the net with one solo block and five block assists.
Johnson added nine kills, 10 digs and two service aces, while Deffebaugh finished with eight kills. Joely-Petroff contributed six kills, 10 assists, six digs and three block assists.
Blaufuss directed the offense with a team-high 19 assists while adding two service aces and six digs. Charli Richardson contributed 10 assists in two sets of action.
Ariel Heinrich anchored the back row with a match-high 30 digs, while Milleson added 13 as Southwestern finished with 75 digs as a team.
Despite the two losses, Southwestern showed improvement throughout opening day, particularly offensively in the second match. The Builders increased their hitting percentage from .100 against Hannibal-LaGrange to .210 against Wayland Baptist while producing nine more kills.
Southwestern will return to action Saturday for another doubleheader in Parkville. The Builders will face the host Park University at 10 a.m. and then take on Doane University at noon at the Breckon Sports Center.
