JOPLIN, Mo.- Volleyball traveled to Missouri Southern for their last regular season game of the 2024 season. This is the second match up between the Lions and Jets. The first match up was in early October where the Lions were able to take the match 3-0 with two of the sets going into extra points. This time out against the Lions the Jets forced a fourth set, but fell 3-1.
How it Happened:
-Early in the first set, the Jets were battling. A kill by
Makenna Reinert put the Jets on the board first. A kill by
McKenna Rhodes tied the game at six all. An error by the Lions gave the Jets the lead at 7-6. For the next few points, the Jets and Lions were battling for the lead, with multiple ties. A kill by
Natalie Meyer gave the advantage to Newman at 8-7. A few points later,
Silvia Fisher regained the Jets lead at 9-8. After this mark, the Lions were able to find a few points to separate them from the Jets at 14-10. An error by the Lions and another kill by Rhodes put the deficit at just three. Until the Lions were able to go on a large run that gave Missouri Southern their largest lead of the game at 18-12. A service error by the Lions stopped their run, but after this point the Jets didn't score again. The Lions took the first set, 25-13.
-In the second set, the Lions continued their momentum from the first set into the second set by hopping out to 8-2 lead which forced the Jets to take their first timeout of the second set. Out of the timeout, the Lions continued their run extending their lead to 13-5. Meyer stopped the run with a kill to make it 13-6, but the Lions were too hot, going on another run to make it 16-6. An error by the Lions and a service ace by
Brooklyn Lane started to give the Jets some energy. Reinert started a Jets run with a kill, followed by four errors in a row by the Lions to make it just a four point game at 17-13.
Hannah Tymitz tried to get the Jets offense going with a kill, but the Lions were able to close out the game at 25-15.
-The Jets battled in the early points of the third set. A kill by
Ozioma Ajekwu started off the Jets offense. A few errors by the Lions allowed Newman to take the 3-2 lead. The Lions were able to take back the lead, then a kill by
Avery Dempsey stopped the Lions run. More errors by the Lions, a kill by
Camdyn Kindred, and a kill by Meyer tied it at eight all. The Jets were then able to retake the lead after a kill by Reinert, a service ace by Dempsey, and a kill by Ajekwu started a run for the Jets. This run put the Jets up 12-10. An error by the Lions pushed the Jets run to 13-10. The Lions then went on a run to regain the lead at 14-13. They were then able to extend their lead to 16-15. Newman then put a run together after
Natalie Trigo hit two service aces in a row to take the lead at 17-16. More errors by the Lions gave the Jets an even bigger lead at 19-16. Another ace by Trigo put the Jets up at 20-16. This run by the Jets forced the Lions to take a timeout. After the timeout, a kill by Tymitz and a service ace by
Madalyn Hoot gave Newman the set point at 24-17. Tymitz finished the set off with a kill to give the Jets a 25-17 win to force a fourth set.
-In the fourth set, Missouri Southern was able to take the early lead at 6-4. A kill by Hoot got the Jets offense going. Dempsey added an ace a few points later to make the game 10-8. Ajekwu added a kill to get the Jets to the 10 point mark, with a five point deficit to the Lions. An error by the Lions allowed the Jets to inch closer. However, the Lions went on a small run to extend their lead to 17-11. The Jets found some fight within them, battling back to 17-15 with help by another ace by Hoot. Kills by Hoot and Meyer took the Jets to 17-19, in favor of the Lions. After this mark, the Lions pushed themselves to a 22-17 lead. A kill by Tymitz and Reinert tried to get the comeback going for the Jets, but ultimately ran out of time. The Lions took set four, 25-20.
-Missouri Southern took the match, 3-1.
Player Notes:
-Ajekwu led the Jets with eight kills.
-Trigo led the defense with 17 digs.
