ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T women's volleyball defeated Southwest Baptist in Saturday's Senior Day match, downing the Bearcats 27-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22.
Two kills by Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) helped build a three-point lead in set one, putting the Miners in front 10-7. A 4-0 run put the Bearcats in front by one, but a trio of S&T kills, along with a block by Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) and Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville), put the Miners ahead again at 14-12. There would be three more lead changes over the following points, with the Bearcats eventually going up 21-19. The Miners closed the frame with a 7-3 run, getting three kills from Wilke as they took set one 27-25.
The Bearcats built a seven-point lead in set two, moving ahead 14-7. The Miners chipped away at SBU's lead, using an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to two. Trailing 23-21, the Miners closed the set on a 4-0 run, going ahead two sets to none off a kill by Ozdemir that secured a 25-23 set victory.
After a 9-9 tie, the Bearcats pulled ahead with an 8-2 run that put them up 17-11. Kills by Ozdemir, Grae Hunter (Oconomowoc, WI/Oconomowoc), and Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) helped the Miners draw within four at 19-15, but the Bearcats managed to pull away again. S&T made one final surge late, going on a 4-1 run before dropping the set 25-20.
Smith contributed two kills early in set four to help the Miners go up 5-1. The Bearcats responded later in the set, using an 8-1 run to move into a 13-10 lead. Smith's contributions helped the Miners tie SBU at 14-14, as the senior middle blocker teamed up with Hunter and Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton) for a pair of double blocks. Two kills by Zipprich started a seven-point run for the Miners that gave them a 22-16 advantage, leading to a match-winning kill by Smith to secure the 25-22 set victory.
Mining the Numbers
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The team's .442 hitting percentage in first set is their highest in GLVC competition this year and their best since hitting .464 in set two against Harding on September 11th.
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Hunter and Maggie Miller (Gretna, NE/Gretna) each established new career highs, with Hunter recording 13 kills and Miller dishing out a personal-best 29 assists.
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Missouri S&T has now won eight consecutive Senior Day matches, extending its streak of Senior Day victories dating back to 2018.
What's Next
They will look to finish the season strong with their final matches of the season next week at Illinois Springfield and Quincy.
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