WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. — Mission University women's volleyball split a pair of conference matches Saturday at the Southerland-Mabee Center, falling to Hannibal-LaGrange in straight sets before rallying for a five-set victory over Cottey.
Hannibal-LaGrange 3, Mission 0
Mission opened the day against Hannibal-LaGrange, falling 25-22, 25-12, 25-16.
The Patriots kept the opening set competitive, recording eight kills, but Hannibal-LaGrange pulled away late to take the first frame. The Trojans carried that momentum into the second set, winning 25-12.
Mission showed improvement in the third set, recording nine kills while hitting .241, but Hannibal-LaGrange closed out the match with a 25-16 set victory.
Shelby Evans led Mission with eight kills, while Maddie Rue added seven. Allie Czachowski contributed three kills while hitting .600. Addison Brizendine finished with 10 assists, and Breann Shumake led the Patriots with 15 digs.
Mission 3, Cottey 2
The Patriots responded in their second match of the day, overcoming an early two-set deficit to defeat Cottey 17-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 17-15.
After dropping the first two sets, Mission began its comeback in the third. The Patriots held Cottey to 22 points and earned a 25-22 victory to stay alive.
Mission continued its push in the fourth set, taking a 25-20 win to force a deciding fifth set. The teams battled beyond the usual 15 points, but the Patriots came through with a 17-15 victory to complete the comeback.
Rue led Mission with 13 kills and added eight assists and seven block assists. Evans finished with 12 kills, while Czachowski added seven kills and six total blocks. Street contributed six kills, and Brizendine recorded 17 assists. Shumake led the defensive effort with 15 digs, while Taylor Garrison added nine.
Match Notes
- Mission finished the day 7-15 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
- The Patriots split their two matches in the conference pod.
- Rue led Mission with 20 combined kills across the two matches.
- Evans added 20 combined kills.
- Shumake recorded 30 digs across the two matches.
- Mission's win over Cottey came after trailing two sets to none.
- The Patriots won the deciding fifth set against Cottey, 17-15.
