FORT SMITH, Ark. — Facing another pair of tough opponents to close out the tournament season, the Newman volleyball team fell 3-1 to Missouri Western and 3-0 to West Florida on Saturday at the Carr Racop Invitational.
MISSOURI WESTERN
Key Sequence
The Jets (4-9) had a tough start during the 9 a.m. start, dropping the first two sets, but they turned it around quickly, winning the third and getting locked in to a tight one against the Griffons (6-6) in the fourth. A three-point surge from Newman tied it late, but Missouri Western closed on a 7-2 run to finish the 25-10, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20 match.
How It Happened
-Missouri Western came out hot, hitting .556 in the opening set and not letting the Jets get much started. In the second, the Jets started to find their stride, climbing back in it to tie things at 15-15, but the Griffons scored 10 of the final 11 points to take the 2-0 lead in the match.
-The third set was a different story though, as Newman found its stride. The Jets tied it at four and didn't trail the rest of the way, using a 7-0 burst that featured kills from four different players to shoot out to a 16-8 advantage. Missouri Western used a few short runs to creep back into it, but Megan Pedersen, Emily Harvey and Sarah Peterson notched kills to get it to set point. The Griffons pulled it to 24-22, but Peterson shut the door with a kill to make it 2-1.
-The Jets started the fourth in a similar fashion, as Pedersen put up three kills in the first five points of the set to help Newman out to a 5-1 lead. The teams went back and forth from there, with three quick lead changes. No lead was larger than three until the Griffons closed it out with four straight points.
WEST FLORIDA
Key Sequence
After Newman rattled off five straight points to take a lead late in the first set, the Argonauts (7-4) managed to pull even. The Jets went in front by one on four straight tries, but West Florida answered each time, the biggest when Newman three times was serving for set point. After tying it at 26-26, UWF picked up two more points and steal a win in the opener, 28-26, 25-15, 25-22.
How It Happened
-Going up against a solid West Florida side, Newman didn't back down, going up 7-4 early off a Sophia Helsing ace and a Peterson kill. Despite a Argonaut rally that put them up 16-9, Newman charged back, getting to within three or four points until they ripped off five straight to take the lead. Kayla Turner and Pedersen posted kills, and Powell had a big solo block to key the run, but West Florida wouldn't let go of the set easily.
-The Argonauts took control earlier in the second, going up 8-2 early and maintaining a healthy lead throughout. Despite that, the Jets held their own through the set, including a kill from Powell and an ace from Reagan Roth while facing set point.
-The third set was much closer, as West Florida built a small lead and chipped away slowly at the Jets. That didn't stop a late charge from Newman, which answered a 20-14 deficit by scoring the next four points, with Pedersen adding an ace and a kill and Yemima Buana putting up a solo block. They got it to 21-20, 23-21 and 24-22 late, but couldn't manage to tie it.
NOTES
-Pedersen lined up outside for most of the Missouri Western match, leading the way with 15 kills on .313 hitting, and adding 12 assists for the double-double.
-Reagen Roth took advantage of the shuffle to spend her most time on the court this season, collecting 28 assists against the Griffons and 14 against the Argonauts.
-Middles Buana and Powell had a nice match against West Florida, combining ifor 12 kills on 24 attempts with no errors and two blocks.
-Tournament season is wrapped up for Newman, which has six nonconference matches left, but the Jets start Heartland Conference play next weekend against Lubbock Christian.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets head back for their home opener at Fugate Gymnasium, Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Park.
