ROLLA, MO -- Miner Volleyball concluded its season earlier today, sweeping the UIS Prairie Stars to end the year on a high note. The team celebrated Senior Day prior to the match, recognizing
Annie Arand (Washington, MO/St. Francis Borgia),
Mya McClain (Fort Dodge, IA/St. Edmond),
Elise Mehaffy (Marion, IA/Marion), and
Lexi Kosmopolis (O'Fallon, IL/Newsome) before they played their final match in Gibson Arena.
Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln Way West) led the Miners early, getting a kill and an ace in the opening points of the match to set up an early 7–2 lead. She later added another trio of kills as the Miners extended their lead to 15–8. Illinois Springfield found a spark midway through the set, taking six of eight points to cut the S&T lead to just three. The Miners answered with a pair of 3–0 runs to pull further ahead. Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Hamilton Sussex) led the charge late with three kills in the final five points of the set, capping the frame with a double block by Avery Patton (Lathrop, MO/Truman) and Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) that gave S&T the first set 25–17.
Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) was active early in the second set, pairing with Kosmopolis and Schoenberger to pick up back-to-back double blocks as the Miners pulled ahead to a 7–4 lead. The Prairie Stars responded with a 6–0 run, picking up two aces and two kills to move in front 10–7. The Miners reclaimed the momentum after two consecutive kills by Schoenberger, helping them tie the score at 10–10. They moved back in front by two in the following points, eventually extending that to a 22–19 lead after kills from Schoenberger, Decker, and Kosmopolis, the latter putting the set away a few points later with a kill for a 25–22 finish.
Illinois Springfield took an early lead in the final set after a 3–0 run, but Patton helped spark a 7–1 S&T run to put them up 11–7, recording two blocks and a kill in that stretch. Later, a couple of kills from Kosmopolis helped the Miners fend off a surge by the Prairie Stars, building a 17–12 advantage. UIS continued to pressure S&T, taking six points in a row and the lead before an ace by McClain, along with a kill and a block from Decker, put the Miners ahead again. They held on in the final points of the match, taking the set and the win on a UIS service error for a 25–21 final.
Kosmopolis recorded her sixth double-double of the season, tying with Schoenberger for the team lead in kills with 10 and adding 11 digs. Arand had a double-double as well, picking up 15 assists and 10 digs. Mehaffy led the team in assists with 18, becoming the eighth Miner in school history to surpass 1,500 career assists. Defensively, McClain led the team in digs with 13, while Patton had a strong performance at the net with five blocks.
Sign up for our email blast at https://minerathletics.com/subscribe.aspx
Follow Miners Volleyball on X and Instagram at @miners_wvb
