COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bluejay Volleyball opened up the 2026 Hampton Inn Classic against Columbia College on Friday afternoon, taking on the 2025 American Midwest Conference (AMC) champions in their second match of the season. Tabor entered the match after falling to MidAmerica Nazarene on the road on Tuesday evening.
Columbia controlled the first set, starting out with a 7-2 lead. The Bluejays battled, coming back with eight, before dropping the set, 25-15.
The Bluejays found a bit of momentum in the second set, stringing together a couple of scoring runs before the Cougars took Set Two, 25-16.
Set Three was all Columbia, as the Cougars cruised to a 25-8 victory, securing a 3-0 match win.
Esther Nederveen led the Bluejays offensively, recording 11 total kills, while Kytzia Cortez finished with five and Jaci Maxfield finished with two. Maxfield and Nederveen also recorded the only Bluejay service aces of the match, each recording one. Annerieke Nederveen added 20 assists, bringing her assist totals for the season to 50. On the defensive side of things, Esther Nederveen led the way with 10 digs, while Suze Droogh finished with nine and Josephine Fuamatu finished with eight. Kingzley Ratzlaff and Annerieke Nederveen each recorded one block in the loss.
The Bluejays look to bounce back later this evening as they take on Central Methodist at 7:00pm.
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
