WINFIELD, Kan. — Southwestern College showed resilience in its home opener Wednesday night, rallying to take the third set before falling to the University of Saint Mary 3-1 in KCAC action at Stewart Field House.
The Spires took the match 25-14, 25-5, 23-25, 25-21. After dropping the opening two sets, the Builders responded with their strongest offensive performance of the night in the third, recording 15 kills with just three errors on 28 attempts for a .429 hitting percentage. Southwestern followed with another solid offensive effort in the fourth, hitting .314 with 14 kills.
Mikki Johnson led the Southwestern attack with 14 kills while hitting .423, committing just three errors on 26 attempts. Charli Richardson added 11 kills on a .296 hitting percentage and contributed six digs. Haleigh Weber finished with four kills on eight attempts for a .375 hitting percentage.
Southwestern struggled to find an offensive rhythm early, hitting .032 in the opening set before being held to a negative hitting percentage in the second. Facing a two-set deficit, the Builders responded in the third. Their 15-kill performance helped Southwestern edge Saint Mary 25-23 and extend the match.
The Builders continued to battle in the fourth set, but Saint Mary closed out the match with a 25-21 victory. The Spires finished the night hitting .408 with 50 kills, while Southwestern recorded 40 kills and hit .140.
Natalie Blaufuss paced the Southwestern offense with 19 assists, while Ayden Joely-Petroff added 17 assists, six kills and seven digs. Brooklyn Milleson led the defensive effort with 12 digs and also recorded two service aces. Kailey Lesquier contributed two block assists.
Saint Mary was led offensively by Kaylee Kindall, who totaled 15 kills on a .609 hitting percentage and added five service aces and three block assists. Saige Hadley added 13 kills, while Addison Baker directed the offense with 42 assists.
Southwestern will return to action Saturday against the Sterling College Warriors at Stewart Field House. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
