WINFIELD, Kan. — Southwestern College battled through two tightly contested opening sets Saturday afternoon before falling to Sterling College in three sets in KCAC action at Stewart Field House.
Sterling earned the 3-0 victory by scores of 26-24, 25-23 and 25-16. Southwestern finished with 38 kills, 35 assists, nine service aces and 31 digs while hitting .142 for the match. The Warriors recorded 44 kills and hit .359 while holding a 10-2 advantage in total blocks.
Charli Richardson led the Builders offensively with 14 kills on 29 attempts, hitting .276 while adding seven digs and a block assist. Mikki Johnson followed with 12 kills and a .259 hitting percentage, while Ayden Joely-Petroff contributed eight kills, 11 assists, four service aces and three digs.
Southwestern came out strong in the opening set and built a 17-10 advantage behind contributions from Richardson, Johnson and Joely-Petroff. The Builders later reached set point at 24-20 following a Joely-Petroff service ace, but Sterling responded with six consecutive points to take the opening frame, 26-24.
Sterling carried the momentum into the second set and established a 15-5 advantage. Southwestern refused to go quietly, using a late rally to pull within one at 24-23. Richardson and Joely-Petroff provided kills during the comeback, while Joely-Petroff added back-to-back service aces earlier in the run. Sterling ultimately secured the final point for a 25-23 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
The Warriors controlled the third set, using an early run to create separation before closing the match with a 25-16 victory. Southwestern continued to pressure Sterling from the service line, with Ariel Heinrich recording two of her three service aces in the final frame.
Natalie Blaufuss finished with a team-high 19 assists to go along with seven digs and two service aces. Brooklyn Milleson added seven digs, while Heinrich finished with three aces. Haleigh Weber contributed two block assists.
Sterling's Aliya McClanahan led all players with 15 kills while hitting .619. Keala Wilson Brown recorded 19 assists and five total blocks, while Chloe Schmidt finished with seven total blocks as the Warriors used their presence at the net to help secure the sweep.
Southwestern will return to action Monday against the Cottey College Comets at Stewart Field House. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
