McPHERSON, Kan. — The Hesston College volleyball team wrapped up a busy weekend at the Central Christian Classic with a 2-2 record, earning wins over Mission University and Central Christian College while falling to Avila University and Paul Quinn College. The Larks showed plenty of offensive balance throughout the weekend, recording 126 kills across their four matches, while their defense added 199 digs and 27 total blocks. Hesston closed the weekend on a high note, sweeping Central Christian 3-0 to move to 3-3 on the season.
Match 1 — Hesston 3, Mission 1
Hesston opened the tournament Friday morning with a four-set victory over Mission University, winning 25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-14. The Larks finished with 38 kills on 120 attempts for a .150 hitting percentage and added 35 assists, eight service aces, 52 digs and eight total blocks. Mission recorded 43 kills but committed 35 attack errors, allowing Hesston to overcome the Patriots’ offensive advantage.
Hesston’s defensive effort was particularly important in the victory, as the Larks limited Mission to a .057 hitting percentage. Hesston also held an 8-2 advantage in service aces and finished with a 52-56 edge in digs.
Match 2 — Avila 3, Hesston 0
Avila handed the Larks their second loss of the season Friday afternoon, sweeping Hesston 25-17, 25-23, 25-22. Hesston recorded 33 kills and hit .109 for the match while collecting 31 assists, four aces, 61 digs and four total blocks.
Kennedie Esparza led the Larks with nine kills while hitting .333, while Trinity Griffin added seven kills and two block assists. Lydia Foster contributed six kills and two total blocks, and Delayna Kerry finished with 17 assists and nine digs. Sarahi Paez led the defensive effort with 13 digs, while Bethanie Haag added 12 digs and two aces.
Avila was led by Megan Davies, who finished with 18 kills on 48 attacks, while Sphia Giorgio recorded 23 digs and Isabella Byrd handed out 19 assists.
Match 3 — Paul Quinn 3, Hesston 0
Hesston faced Paul Quinn on Saturday afternoon and fell in straight sets, 25-16, 25-14, 25-13. The Larks struggled to find an offensive rhythm, finishing with 20 kills and 25 attack errors on 118 attempts for a -.042 hitting percentage. Hesston added 18 assists, 49 digs and six total blocks but was held without a service ace.
Paul Quinn finished with 31 kills, hitting .137 as a team, while recording 28 assists, eight aces, 60 digs and four blocks. The Tigers also committed no reception errors in the match.
Match 4 — Hesston 3, Central Christian 0
The Larks closed the tournament with their strongest performance of the weekend, sweeping host Central Christian 25-21, 25-23, 25-7. Hesston hit .230 for the match, recording 35 kills with just 15 errors on 87 attempts. The Larks also totaled 34 assists, 12 service aces, 37 digs and five total blocks.
Jaycee Ray led the Hesston attack with 11 kills on 23 attempts while hitting .391 and added three block assists. Trinity Griffin contributed nine kills, while Lydia Foster added five kills and two block assists. Delayna Perry recorded five kills on 11 attempts, 11 assists, three aces and eight digs, while Rebekah Blackmer paced the offense with 19 assists and four aces.
Bethanie Haag added six digs and two aces, while Sarahi Paez also recorded six digs. Hesston’s 12 service aces were a key difference in the match, and the Larks saved their best offensive performance of the weekend for the final set, hitting .429 while cruising to a 25-7 victory.
The Larks finished the weekend 2-2 and return to action Tuesday, Sept. 1, when they host Randall University at 7 p.m.
