Sterling College battled hard against a tough Kansas Wesleyan opponent in the conference opener in the Gleason Center on Tuesday, Sept. 16. However, the Coyote came away with a win in four sets, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22r. Despite Sterling’s strong blocking performance with 11 total blocks, Kansas Wesleyan capitalized on their serving advantage, recording 10 aces to secure the win.
The Lady Warriors encountered a challenging start as Kansas Wesleyan University opened the first set with a 3-0 lead, capitalizing on consecutive errors. Sterling responded with a brief rally, highlighted by kills from Chloe Schmidt and Kaira Rodriguez, and a critical block by Aliya McClanahan and Keala Wilson that narrowed the gap to 10-10. However, Kansas Wesleyan surged ahead again, using a series of service aces and attacks to stretch their lead to 18-14, prompting Sterling to call a timeout. Despite a late push from the Warriors, including a service ace from Schmidt, Kansas Wesleyan closed the set with a 25-17 victory.
Sterling College opened the second set with an immediate impact, executing a kill by Gracie Kirchhoff from a Wilson assist at 0-0 and following it up with a service ace by Wilson to take an early lead. Throughout the set, Wilson proved instrumental, contributing multiple key assists and a pivotal service ace at 14-13 that helped Sterling maintain momentum. Despite a late Coyote surge, Sterling countered effectively, using strategic plays from Schmidt and Kirchhoff to secure a 25-21 victory in the set.
The third set began with back-and-forth action as both teams exchanged points, keeping the score close. Sterling College capitalized on a series of errors by Kansas Wesleyan, building a brief 13-9 lead with contributions from McClanahan and Kirchhoff. Despite a strong defensive effort, including key blocks, the Coyotes mounted an effective comeback, closing the set with a series of kills by Rylee Serpan to secure a 25-21 victory.
The fourth set opened with Sterling College surging ahead as Wilson’s service ace set the tone from the start. McClanahan and Schmidt capitalized on key assists, pushing the home team to an 8-4 lead, prompting the Coyotes to call an early timeout. Despite a strong start, the Coyotes rallied back with a series of kills by Sara Bebout and Joey Pennington, leveling the score at 19-19. In a tense finish, a late surge by Kansas Wesleyan, capped by Bebout’s decisive kill, sealed the set 25-22 in favor of the visitors.
Wilson contributed significantly on defense with 24 digs, while also adding 20 assists and three aces. Kaleigh Guhr was active on the backline, collecting 17 digs across the match. Schmidt led the offensive attack with a .400 hitting percentage, recording nine kills and contributing four blocks. McClanahan was effective at the net, finishing with 10 kills and six total blocks.
With the loss, the Lady Warriors move to 9-3 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. Their next match will be against no. 8 ranked McPherson College (17-1, 0-0) in McPherson, Kan. on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
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