OTTAWA, Kan. – Kansas Wesleyan Women’s Volleyball picked up a pair of big wins on Tuesday in a triangular hosted by Ottawa University in Wilson Field House. The Coyotes opened with a sweep over the Braves, who received votes in the latest NAIA Poll, then followed with a sweep over Briar Cliff University.
Wesleyan is 11-4 overall after the two wins, and has won eight of the last nine matches, the last four all in straight set sweeps.
KWU 3, Ottawa 0 (25-19, 25-19, 26-24): The Coyotes would open Tuesday’s triangular with a sweep over the Ottawa Braves.
The Coyotes rocketed out to a 6-1 lead to start the first set and pushed the lead out to 8-2 on a service ace by Maddy Beckett. Ottawa then rallied, scoring the next four points to make it 8-6. The Coyotes would not give up the lead, despite Ottawa getting within two points several times, the last time at 18-16.
Kills from Morgan Bryand and Rylee Serpan quickly pushed Wesleyan’s lead out to 21-16 and the Coyotes would take the first set on a kill by Josie Deckinger.
Ottawa had the lead early in the second set, leading by three at 7-4, then pushing the lead out to as much as a five point cushion at 11-6. Back came the Coyotes. Three straight kills from the freshman Serpan got KWU back within two at 11-9, and after Ottawa got a point, it was Serpan with another kill for the Coyotes making it 12-10. Wesleyan tied it with a block by Elizabeth Hardacre and took a 14-13 lead on a kill by Hardacre.
Wesleyan capitalized on some Ottawa mistakes to push out to a 22-18 lead, and Bryand’s kill would close out the set.
KWU led out of the gates in the third set, but Ottawa came back to tie it at 7-7 and take a 10-9 lead. The lead bounced back and forth the rest of the set, and it appeared Ottawa was going to take the set leading 24-22, but a block by Hardacre, and a hitting error by Ottawa tied it. Another Ottawa error gave the Coyotes match point, and Beckett would serve an ace to close out the match.
Serpan had a huge match with 14 kills, while hitting .393. Bryand had 13 kills while hitting .500, and Hardacre hit .389 with 10 kills. The Coyotes hit .274 as a team. Deckinger had 31 assists as the Coyotes switched up the offense. Hardacre had four blocks, and Kelcey Hund had 20 digs.
KWU 3, Briar Cliff 0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-12): The Coyotes had 52 kills in a three set match as the Coyotes beat Briar Cliff.
Wesleyan fell behind in the opening set 7-3, and later trailed 12-7 before a kill by Beckett sparked a 5-0 run to tie the set at 12-all. Wesleyan took the lead for the first time at 15-14 on a Bryand kill, and with the set tied at 16, a 4-0 run by the Coyotes gave Wesleyan enough of a cushion to take the first set.
The second set was close early, as it took a 5-0 run for the Coyotes to turn an 11-9 deficit into a 14-11 lead. The Coyotes led 17-14 when they went on another 4-0 run to take a 21-14 lead which proved to be enough for the Coyotes to take the set 25-19.
Briar Cliff led 7-6 in the final set, when the Coyotes got untracked, scoring the next seven points to take a 13-7 lead on a kill by Bryand. After the Chargers scored a point, the Coyotes got right back to work, extending the lead out to 18-8 on a kill by Beckett.
KWU led 22-12 before scoring the final three points to take the last set 25-12.
Bryand had a huge match for the Coyotes, hitting .567 for the match with 19 kills, averaging over 6 kills per set. Three others – Hardacre, Beckett and Serpan had 10 kills each. Deckinger had 35 assists. Melinna Schulmann had 17 digs, while Hund had 13, Beckett 12 and Deckinger had 10.
The Coyotes are back in action on Friday, as they open conference play, taking on the Sterling Warriors at 7 p.m. in Sterling. KWU then is back at home on Saturday, hosting a triangular with Hannibal LaGrange and Southwestern starting at 10 a.m. inside Mabee Arena.
