STERLING, Kan. — Sterling College hosted the NCCAA Central Region Tournament in the Gleason Center on Thursday, Nov. 20. The Lady Warriors started with a 3-0 win in the semi-final game against Mission University, recording an impressive seven services aces in the contest. However, Sterling could not keep the momentum going and fell short to the higher seeded, Mid-American Christian University in the championship game.
Sterling v. Mission (W, 3-0)
Sterling College swept Mission University 25-17, 25-13, 25-17 with efficient attacks, highlighted by 40 kills with just six errors on 93 attempts, resulting in a .366 hitting percentage. The team also excelled at the service line with seven aces. The Patriots struggled offensively, hitting .087 with 18 errors.
The Lady Warriors started the first set with a strong defensive presence, capitalizing on an early service error by Mission to take a 1-0 lead. Building on this momentum, Sterling College extended their advantage with effective plays from Chloe Schmidt and Kaira Rodriguez, contributing to a 7-2 lead.
Throughout the set, Sterling continued to assert control, highlighted by effective kills from Aliya McClanahan and Keala Wilson, pushing the score to 13-6. Despite a few service errors, the Lady Warriors maintained their lead, closing the set with a decisive block from Wilson and McClanahan, securing a 25-17 victory.
Sterling capitalized on several key plays to seize control in the second set. Rodriguez initiated the offensive momentum with an early kill, while Wilson consistently set up successful attacks, including kills by McClanahan and Maddie Lundeen. A series of attack errors by Mission, compounded by solid blocking from Sterling, allowed the home team to extend their lead significantly.
The Lady Warriors continued to dominate with contributions from Grace Battershell, who facilitated multiple kills and forced errors from the opposition. Wilson added further pressure with an ace, broadening the gap. Despite a brief push from the Patriots, Sterling maintained their advantage and closed the set with a service ace by Schmidt, securing a 25-13 victory.
Sterling College opened the third set with a solid start, capitalizing on a service error by Mission and a service ace from Kaleigh Guhr to build an early 2-0 lead. Schmidt contributed with a kill from a Wilson assist, helping extend the advantage to 4-1. Sterling maintained momentum with a service ace and a block by McClanahan and Lundeen, pushing the score to 6-1.
Despite a brief scoring push from the Patriots, Sterling responded with key plays from Wilson and McClanahan, keeping the score in their favor at 11-7. Wilson’s consistent play, highlighted by multiple kills, helped Sterling maintain a narrow lead as Mission closed the gap to 14-13. Sterling then surged ahead with a 4-0 run, aided by errors from the Patriots, bringing the score to 18-13.
As the set concluded, Sterling’s offensive efforts were reinforced by Wilson and Rodriguez’s kills, extending the lead to 22-17. The set closed with two consecutive service aces from Wilson, securing a 25-17 victory for Sterling College.
Wilson posted a strong performance with eight kills on 14 attempts, achieving a .500 hitting percentage, and added 18 assists and four service aces. McClanahan led the attack with nine kills on 14 attempts, hitting at a .643 percentage, and contributed defensively with four blocks. Taylor “Dru” Lindsey, as libero, recorded a team-high 14 digs across the match. Lundeen contributed both offensively and defensively with three kills and five digs, adding two block assists to her performance.
Sterling v. Mid-American Christian (L, 3-0)
Sterling College was defeated by Mid-American Christian University in three sets, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23. The Lady Warriors registered 31 kills and 28 assists, while also recording seven total blocks. Mid-American Christian secured the match with 44 kills and 38 assists, maintaining a stronger attack percentage of .159 compared to Sterling’s .046.
Sterling began the first set with a steady start, quickly recovering from an early deficit against Mid-American Christian. After falling behind 3-0, Sterling capitalized on opponent errors and a block by McClanahan to level the score at 3-3. The team maintained momentum through a balanced effort, including a kill by McClanahan from a Wilson assist, which tied the score again at 4-4.
The Lady Warriors then surged ahead with a series of points, including a kill by Rodriguez and a service ace by Guhr, establishing a 14-11 lead. However, MACU mounted a comeback, eventually overtaking Sterling to lead 20-18 after a series of successful plays by Seyi Atolagbe.
Despite a late push from Sterling, highlighted by a service ace from Lindsey and a kill by Schmidt, Mid-American Christian held on to close the set with a 25-21 advantage.
Sterling began the second set attempting to gain ground, with Rodriguez and McClanahan securing early points assisted by Wilson. Despite this, MACU capitalized on errors from Sterling and maintained a lead through consistent play from Atolagbe and Casady McKinney.
The Lady Warriors narrowed the gap with effective blocks from Schmidt and Kodie Herd, combined with a service error by the opponent. However, MACU responded swiftly, with Madi Trayler contributing multiple critical kills, extending their advantage.
The set concluded with the Eagles pulling away, aided by a series of points from Atolagbe and a final kill. The set ended with MACU leading 25-17, maintaining their edge over Sterling College.
The Lady Warriors opened the third set with an early point from McClanahan, assisted by Wilson, setting a competitive tone. Despite initial setbacks, including attack errors, Gracie Kirchhoff and Schmidt delivered key kills to keep the score tight. Midway through, Grace Battershell‘s service ace and a block by Herd and McClanahan shifted momentum, allowing Sterling to pull ahead briefly at 8-7.
Continuing their push, Sterling extended the lead to 12-7, capitalizing on attack errors and effective kills from McClanahan and Wilson. However, MACU responded, closing the gap to 15-15 with a series of well-placed kills and defensive stops. Sterling battled back to 19-18 with contributions from Abigail “Abi” Howard and Herd, maintaining a narrow edge.
As the set drew to a close, both teams exchanged points, with Howard securing a crucial kill to tie at 22-22. However, the Eagles managed to gain the upper hand, taking advantage of an attack error and a final kill to clinch the set 25-23.
Wilson led Sterling College with 16 digs and added six kills, contributing significantly to the team’s defensive and attacking efforts. McClanahan showcased her blocking skills with five total blocks, including two solo, while also tallying nine kills. Battershell was effective in setting, recording 12 assists and adding two service aces. Herd contributed to the team’s blocking with three block assists and chipped in with five kills.
Despite the loss, the season may not be over as the Lady Warriors hope for an at-large bid to the NCCAA DI Women’s Volleyball National Championship to be hosted by College of the Ozarks in Lookout Point, Mo., on Wednesday-Saturday, Dec. 3-6. For more information about the tournament click here.
Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors’ live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.
