The Warriors volleyball team looked poised to have a great opportunity to win third place in The MCCC Tournament earlier today as they took a 2-2 tie with momentum on their side into the 5th and deciding set. The Bears had other plans as the team stormed back to win a five-set thriller 3-2 on Saturday afternoon in Joplin, MO. With the loss, the Warriors fall to 13-12 on the season.
“I want to give credit to Barclay as they battled back after we tied it 2-2, and played outstanding defense,” Warrior Head Coach Josh Johnson said. “They capitalized on our defensive lapses and gradually turned the final momentum of the match. Hopefully, we learned some important lessons from this loss as we continue our postseason.”
The Warriors came into the match after going 1-1 in competition during the first and second rounds of the tournament. They beat Faith in the quarter-finals in three straight and then gave the number one team in the nation Manhattan Christian College all they could handle in a closely contested 1-3 loss.
The team struggled with fatigue today after the competitive and emotional matches from yesterday. “Elle Davis brought great energy to us today,” stated Johnson. We weren’t in sync early and when Elle brought that energy it gave us a chance. Hannah and Leah really kept us in the game with their swings and fought to bring us energy as well. We struggled more with serving than we did last night.”
Two players recorded double figures in kills. Leah Grady led the way for the Warriors with 15 kills, four digs, and two blocks. Hannah Davidson added 12 kills and 11 digs on the day. Basia Nesbett-Tucker finished with 40 assists and Miriam McCubbin had 19 digs to anchor the defensive effort.
In the semi-final match Friday night, the Warriors got tremendous front-line offense. Haley Arneson had eight kills and hit 47% during the match. She added two aces and 15 digs on the evening. Leah Grady finished with 15 kills and hit at a 36 percent clip. Brianna Hanson added nine kills while hitting 22 percent.
The Warriors travel North for the NCCAA North Regional Tournament next Friday and Saturday. The winner of Regionals will punch their ticket to the National Tournament in Florida later in November.
