Volleyball Results: Sept. 8
Mt. Vernon 3, Grace 1
Mt. Vernon Nazarene’s volleyball team continued its winning ways, beating Grace in four sets on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers claimed the opening set, but the Cougars responded with three straight set victories to win the match. MVNU has now won 11 straight matches.
Grace had four players reach double-digit kills, led by an outstanding performance from Anna Frey with 14 kills, 24 digs and 4 aces.
The Lady Lancers trailed for nearly the entire first set after losing the first six points. But Grace showed resolve to fight within striking distance.
MVNU seemed to hold a comfortable lead late at 23-18, but six straight points from Grace gave the home team momentum.
MVNU recovered to go ahead 25-24, but Grace responded with a kill by Jadyn Ross and two kills in a row from Alisha Leffring to win the set 27-25.
Frey and Ross combined for nine kills in the opening set.
The second set also went to extra points. MVNU pulled ahead early again in the second set, grabbing an 8-3 advantage. Grace eventually fought back to level the score at 24-24 and 25-25. But the Cougars evened the match with a narrow 27-25 win.
The third set was unusual as Grace grabbed an early lead. The Lady Lancers led 12-6 before MVNU grabbed control. The Cougars used a 15-5 charge to surge ahead, pulling away for a 25-20 win.
Grace was sluggish again to begin the fourth set, quickly falling behind 10-3. The young Lady Lancers continued to battle and managed to tie the score at 19-19.
But Grace’s offense was quiet down the stretch as the team did not record another kill; MVNU clinched the match with a 25-21 win.
Frey led Grace with 14 kills, and Cassadi Colbert (12 kills), Leffring (11) and Jenna Mueller (10) joined her with 10 or more kills. Mueller added three solo blocks, and Leffring had two solo blocks and a block assist.
Gina Novotny tied for match honors with 28 digs, and Grace Erwin added 10 digs.
Riley Owens produced 21 assists and 12 digs, and Morgan Syoen tallied a team-high 28 assists. Ross finished with eight kills and five digs.
The Lady Lancers end the week with two road matches, including Friday at St. Francis and Saturday at No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan.