WINFIELD, Kan. — Southwestern College used a balanced offensive attack and a strong performance at the net to defeat Cottey College in four sets at Stewart Fieldhouse.
The Builders earned the 3-1 nonconference victory by scores of 25-11, 20-25, 25-19 and 27-25. Southwestern finished with 61 kills while hitting .239 for the match, compared with 39 kills and a .068 hitting percentage for the Comets. The Builders also held an 8-3 advantage in total blocks.
Southwestern came out firing in the opening set, recording 17 kills with just three attack errors for a .438 hitting percentage. The Builders turned a 10-7 advantage into a commanding lead behind a productive stretch that included four kills from Charli Richardson. Southwestern closed the set with five consecutive points, capped by a Kadance Heumann service ace, to take the opener 25-11.
Cottey responded in the second set. The Comets built a 12-5 advantage before Southwestern worked its way back into contention. The Builders cut the deficit to 20-19, but Cottey answered by scoring five of the final six points to even the match with a 25-20 win.
Southwestern regained control in the third. After Cottey erased an early deficit to tie the set at 8, the Builders responded with four straight points and later used another surge to stretch their advantage to 18-12. Mikki Johnson helped Southwestern close out the frame with four kills over the final stretch, while Natalie Blaufuss and Kailey Lesquier combined for a block on set point to secure the 25-19 victory.
The fourth set provided the night's most competitive finish with 13 ties and two lead changes. Cottey erased a 15-11 Southwestern advantage and eventually moved ahead 17-15. The Builders continued to battle, tying the set at 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. After Cottey took a 25-24 lead, Lesquier delivered a kill to even the score before Johnson put Southwestern ahead 26-25. Lesquier followed with the match-clinching kill to give the Builders a 27-25 victory.
Johnson led Southwestern's offense with a match-high 18 kills, while Richardson produced an all-around performance with 15 kills on a .286 hitting percentage and a match-high 20 digs. Haleigh Weber added 11 kills on a .421 hitting percentage and three solo blocks. Lesquier was highly efficient in the middle, finishing with 10 kills on 14 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage while adding two total blocks.
Blaufuss directed the offense with 29 assists while adding six kills, eight digs, one service ace and two total blocks. Heumann contributed 18 assists and an ace, while Brooklyn Milleson anchored the back row with 16 digs and five assists.
Southwestern will return to action Wednesday against Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
