WICHITA, Kan. — After suffering a loss in the first set, the Newman volleyball team turned it around in a hurry, putting together three of its best sets of the season to bounce the No. 4 NAIA team in the country in Park University with a 3-1 win Tuesday night at Fugate Gymnasium.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Jets (5-9) fell in the first set, and although they were playing better in the second, still found themselves tied at 16-16 with the Pirates (12-2). Megan Pedersen's kill gave Newman the lead, and Park called a timeout after an error made it 18-16. Instead of halting the Jets' momentum though, the hosts rattled off five more points to shoot up 23-16 and find their footing in an 18-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-A five-point burst by the Pirates put them up 9-4 early in the first, and although a pair of blocks helped get Newman back in it at 9-7, Park maintained its lead. That lead built to as much as eight at 21-13 until the Jets starting finding their stride, and although it was too late in the first, a big block over the final few points helped Newman figure things out the rest of the way.
-Two points was the most either team led by in the second, and the Jets took their first lead of the match after a block from Pedersen and Yemima Buana, followed by two errors, made it 16-15. After the Pirates tied it on the next point, Newman rolled off its 7-0 run to take control. A Crystal Powell kill made it set point, and Newman tied the match up three points later.
-The third set saw the best play of the night for the Jets, right from the start. Emily Harvey notched three kills, Kayla Turner two kills and an ace, and Powell and Sarah Peterson a kill apiece as Newman rang up the first four points and eight of the first nine without the benefit of a Park error. The closest the Pirates would get the rest of the set was five, and the lead ballooned as large as 11 late in the game.
-Another quick start, with kills from Turner and Powell, made it 4-1 Jets in the fourth. The Pirates bounced back quicker this time to tie it at four, and held close up to its only lead of the match after Newman's big run in the second, at 12-11. It didn't take long for the Jets to end that hope though, responding immediately with a 9-1 run that helped seal it. Peterson put up three kills in that stretch, and Newman cruised to the win.
NOTES
-Newman posted one of its best offensive nights of the season, hitting .241 on the night. Its 54 kills is the second-highest mark of the season, and is the highest total since the first day of the season on Sept. 1. They hit .485 in that impressive third set.
-Five different Jets reached double digits in kills, the first time that has happened since Sept. 18, 2014 against St. Edward's. Turner, Pedersen, Peterson, Buana and Harvey all went for exactly 10 kills.
-Buana hit .529 and added four total blocks, while Pedersen added 27 assistsa nd 12 digs to put up her first career triple-double. Anna Burton put up 26 digs to lead the back row.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets move off campus to Wichita Hoops to take on Lubbock Christian in their Heartland Conference opener at noon Saturday, followed by a nonconference matchup against Southern Nazarene at 4.
