WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Sept. 17, 2016) - Central Missouri Volleyball completed a perfect Peggy Martin Challenge with sweeps of Southern Arkansas (25-12, 25-17, 25-18) and Newman (25-18, 25-18, 25-16) Saturday afternoon at the UCM Multipurpose Building. The win is the Jennies seventh straight and moves them to 10-2 on the season.
Game One - Central Missouri 3, Southern Arkansas 0 - 25-12, 25-17, 25-18
Cheyanne Lyons kicked off her tremendous day by knocking 14 kills against the Lady Mule Riders. The Jennies hit .336 on the afternoon, committed only eight attack errors in three sets.
Molly Lawrence chipped in 10 points with eight kills and four blocks.
Kourtney Thompson handed out 34 assists and was a dig shy of a double-double.
Katie Carlson paced the defense with 16 digs.
The Jens set the table early, getting out to a 5-1 lead. UCM never trailed in the set as they easily took the opening frame 25-12.
Like the first, the Jennies never trailed in the second set either. Central Missouri scored the first six points and comfortably led, scoring the final two points on aces from Thompson.
The third set was much closer and Southern Arkansas led by as much as three, 11-8. The Jens regained the lead, 14-13, on a kill from
Mackenzie Harding, but the Lady Mule Riders kept things close at 16-all. The Jens used a 4-0 spurt getting kills from Harding, Neigenfind and Thompson to take a 20-16 led they never relinquished and closed the match with a kill from Lawrence.
Alexia Southern led Southern Arkansas with nine kills and added seven digs. Paige Mays' 19 digs were a match-high and Savannah Pillow picked up 14 assists, three blocks and two service aces.
Game Two - Central Missouri 3, Newman 0 - 25-18, 25-18, 25-16
Lyons matched her career-high set earlier this season with 20 kills in the Jennies win over Newman. She connected on a .474 attack percentage, helping UCM hit .384 for the match. Three Jennies were in double-figures in digs as the Jens collected 60 in three sets. Carlson had a match-high 17 while
Carly Offerdahl had 13 and
Kylie Hohlen chipped in 11.
Kourtney Thompson filled out the stat sheet with a match-high 29 assists, eight digs, five kills and a block.
The Jens stormed out of the gates, taking an early 5-1 lead and forcing a Newman timeout. The Jets cut the lead to two, 8-6, but UCM never trailed, taking the first set 25-18, ending the frame on an ace from Carlson.
Both teams traded points at the outset of set number two, with neither gaining more than a one-point edge as the set was tied-up 9-9. UCM was able to pull ahead with an 11-3 run, getting three kills from Lyons during the stretch. The deficit was too much for the Jets to overcome and Lyons put the set away with back-to-back kills.
UCM built a 5-1 lead to start set three, but the Jets were up to the challenge, coming all the way back to take a one-point lead, 10-9. The Jens quickly regained the lead with the help of a Newman service error and a kill from Harding. The Jennies never trailed again and scored 13 of the final 18 points.
Abby Skrastins' service ace sealed the Jets fate to end the match.
Newman's Kayla Turner and Yemima Buana each had nine kills. Brook Conley helped out with 16 assists and Anna Burton added 16 digs.
Following the tournament, UCM's
Cheyanne Lyons and
Kourtney Thompson were named to the All-Tournament team. They were joined by Jackie Becker and Maddie Bruder of Northwest Missouri State, Anna Burton from Newman, Sharon Tukuaoga from Henderson State and Amanda Milnick of Arkansas Tech.
The Jennies now gear up for the MIAA portion of their schedule. The Jennies first match is against currently seventh-ranked Central Oklahoma Friday, Sept. 23 in Warrensburg.
