OKLAHOMA CITY (TaborBluejays.com) – Bluejay Volleyball got the 2025 campaign started with a three-hour trek down to Oklahoma City to take on Mid-America Christian in the eighth all-time meeting between the two programs. Both teams entered the match looking for their first win to open the season, with Tabor coming off a 5-23 record in 2024, while MACU entered the match after posting a 21-14 record in 2024.
SCORE
- Tabor 0, Mid-America Christian 3 (10-25, 21-25, 28-30)
- With the loss, Tabor drops to 0-1 on the young season, while Mid-America Christian starts out 1-0
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
- Liana McGonigle led the way offensively with nine total kills, while recording one block
- Carolina Goncalves emerged as another offensive option, adding eight kills of her own on 19 total attacks and recording a .211 attacking percentage
- Mia Maly led the team in assists, accounting for 32 of 33 total assists
- Catherine Eddy, Josephine Fuamatu, Breonna Smith, and EmiLee Walnofer each tallied two service aces apiece
- Walnofer also led the team in digs with 10
MATCH SUMMARY
- Set One
- Tabor fell behind quickly, conceding the first four points to MACU before providing an answer
- As the Bluejays found themselves down 12-3, Breonna Smith ended the Evangels’ run with a block and an ace, before MACU rattled off several more points to take a commanding 20-6 lead
- Four unanswered points by MACU sealed the Bluejays’ fate at the end of the first set
- Set Two
- The Bluejays found themselves working to come back from another sizeable deficit to start the second set, 13-4
- Tabor forced MACU to take their first timeout of the set after coming back within five to make the score 16-11
- Yet another run gave TC an opportunity to tie the set at 19 apiece thanks to a crucial kill by Breonna Smith
- Two Bluejay attacking errors and a pair of aces by the Evangels’ Karlee Siegfried saw MACU take the set, 24-21
- Set Three
- A string of MACU kills and three Bluejay attacking errors saw Mid-America Christian quickly take a 9-3 lead to start the third set
- The Bluejays found their spark, rattling off nine out of the next 11 rallies, taking the reins midway through the set
- Finding themselves down again, this time by a score of 16-14, the Bluejays went on a 7-2 run and grabbed a much-needed advantage, 21-18, marking their largest lead of the night
- Following a Mid-America Christian timeout, the Bluejays had trouble stopping them from scoring on eight of the next 12 rallies, leading the set being decided in extra points
- Two Tabor attack errors sealed the deal for the Bluejays, leading to the 30-28 final
FROM THE COACH
“We had a slow start, but it was a great battle. I’m really proud of our newcomers and their performance, and our returners have made new strides in their connections. I’m really proud of how our blocking and service pressure looked. We are….TABOR!”
UP NEXT
Tabor will make the trip to the northeast corner of the state, to Atchison, on Friday to take on Benedictine and Baker in the Benedictine Quad.
