Jennies volleyball notched their second conference victory of the season after defeating Missouri Western 3-1 Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Building.
The first set between the Jennies and Griffons consisted of back-and forth action during which the two teams tied at 7-7, 9-9, 15-15, and 17-17. After trailing 21-23, a kill from outside hitter Aubree Bell brought the Jennies within two of the Griffons, but Missouri Western sealed the first victory of the match following an attack error from Bell and a bad serve from defensive specialist Katie Carlson.
Following an 8-8 tie in the second set, the Jennies put together a 7-0 run aided by three aces from Aubrey Fisher. The lead favored the Jennies for the rest of the set and the Jennies tied the match 1-1 with a 25-19 victory.
The Jennies trailed 6-4 in the early part of the third set, but, after capitalizing on a Griffons’ service error and a pair of attack errors, the Jens mounted an 11-4 spurt. The lead was enough to last the remainder of the set and earned the Jens a 25-21 victory.
The final set of the afternoon saw the score tied on eight different occasions. The Jennies held a slim 20-18 lead heading into the final moments of the set. A pair of kills from Fisher coupled with a service error and ball handling error on the Griffons allowed the Jennies to score five consecutive points and wrap up the match with a 25-18 victory.
While the Jennies pulled away with the victory, Head Coach Flip Piontek voiced concern over the Jennies ability to set the ball over the course of the match.
“We set a lot more balls outside than I normally want to,” Piontek said. “I couldn’t get the ball to the middle to our two strong hitters.”
Piontek, however, explained that this wasn’t a matter of ability, but rather a natural issue of consistency that teams face when starting young players.
“What you really want is a little more consistency from match to match,” Piontek said. “When you start four freshmen, the effort is there, but the consistency of quality of touches is not.”
Although quality of touches was a point of emphasis for the Jennies’ young roster, multiple freshmen managed double-digit kills. Aubrey Fisher had 16 kills and Hannah VanBuskirk added 13. Freshmen Ally Offerdahl finished with a double-double consisting 48 assists and 10 digs.
The Jennies look to better their consistency and conference record against the Lindenwood Lions Sept. 26 in St. Charles, Missouri.