(PITTSBURG, Kan.) – In its third match in the last three days, the No. 8 Central Missouri Jennies capped off a road trip with a four-set win against the Pittsburg State Gorillas, 25-20, 24-26, 25-14, 25-22.
The Jennies finished the road swing with a 3-0 record and remain perfect in MIAA action this season.
The Gorillas used a pair of four-point runs early in the opening set to claim an 11-6 edge. After a Pittsburg State kill made it 19-15 Gorillas, PSU committed four straight attack errors, including an attack that was blocked down by Taylor Goodness and Hillary McCormick that tied the set at 19-19. McCormick then put down the kill at 20-19, and after the Gorillas briefly tied it again at 20-20, sophomore Aubri Renshaw dealt out the last four points to win 25-20. Pittsburg State committed 12 attack errors in the first set.
Narrowly trailing throughout the beginning portions of the second set, the Jennies tied the set at 16-16 after a kill from freshman Carly Sojka an a Gorilla attack error. Pittsburg State responded with seven of the next ten points to make it 23-19, with Goodness scoring kills on all three of the Jennies’ points during that run.
Sojka then set off a four-point run with a kill, followed by a pair of blocks from the Jens’ front line, and a PSU attack error, tying the set at 23-23. Coming out of a timeout, the Gorillas took a 24-23 edge on a kill, and then quickly called their second timeout before McCormick fought off the first set point with a kill.
Pittsburg State’s Nicole Rockhold earned back-to-back kills to close out the set, 26-24.
In their best set of the match, the Jennies never trailed throughout the third, recording a .267 hitting percentage off 12 kills. The Jens took the first three points, immediately taking control from Lisa Moore‘s kill and a pair of Gorilla errors. UCM stretched that lead to 12-7 with kills from Goodness and McCormick, as well as a service ace from junior Julia Bates.
An 8-2 run midway through the set really put the Jennies in a comfortable spot, turning a narrow 12-9 lead into 20-11, highlighted by three service aces, including a pair from libero Annie Reilly on back-to-back points. Central Missouri gave up just three more points on their way to a 25-14 win in the third.
Looking to force a fifth set, Pittsburg State climbed out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth, forcing the Jennies to use an early timeout. The Gorillas continued out of the break to win three straight points, claiming a 10-3 edge.
Central Missouri bounced back for the next five points, pulling within two points at 10-8. WIth an attack error from the Gorillas, UCM tied the set at 11-11, and then fought to re-gain the lead at 16-15 with another error. Sojka’s kill kicked off three straight points for the Jens, making it 19-15.
After Pittsburg State tied it again at 19-19, UCM reeled off a 5-1 run to force match point at 24-20. Pittsburg responded, fighting off two match points, but Bradye Peniston‘s eighth kill of the night closed out the match, 25-22.
Goodness led the Jennies offense with a team-high 10 kills. Setter Julia Bates earned the double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs. Defensively, three other Jennies finished with double-digit kills, including Reilly with a team-high 27, Renshaw with 18, and Sojka with 11. As a team, the Jennies dealt-out a team-high nine service aces in the win.
The Jennies improve to 13-3 on the year with the win, and 7-0 in the MIAA. UCM returns home next week to start a seven-game homestand, beginning Friday, Oct. 5 against Arkansas Tech to kick off the Peggy Martin Challenge at 7 p.m.
 
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