ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Missouri S&T Women's Volleyball ended day two of the Reddie-Tiger Invitational with another split, defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-0 before falling to Mississippi Christian in five sets.
S&T 3 – UAPB 0
A pair of early kills by Danielle Wilke (Palmer Lake, CO/Palmer Ridge) helped the Miners jump out to a 5-2 lead, which they extended to 10-5 following an ace by Elly Decker (Manhattan, IL/Lincoln-Way West). Three kills by Selin Ozdemir (Ankara, Turkey/Bilim) fueled a 5-2 run that pushed the S&T advantage to seven, followed by a 6-1 run that put the Miners ahead 21-11. Pine Bluff flipped the momentum late, taking 11 of the next 12 points to tie the set at 22-22. S&T fended off a set point at 24-25 before closing out the frame 27-25 on an ace by Chelsea Plunkett (Chesterfield, MO/Marquette).
The Golden Lions grabbed an early 8-4 lead in the second set, but the Miners responded with a 6-2 run, getting kills from Ozdemir, Wilke and Madison Smith (Boonville, MO/Boonville) to draw even at 10-10. S&T followed with a 7-0 run to take a 17-11 lead, with Plunkett adding a pair of aces during the stretch. The Miners fended off Pine Bluff's comeback attempts late, getting a pair of kills from Ozdemir and an ace from Kate Zipprich (Hardin, IL/Calhoun) to secure the second set, 25-16.
S&T and UAPB remained knotted up early in the third set, with neither team leading by more than one through the first 19 points. The Miners were the first to create separation, using a 3-0 run to take a slim lead. The Golden Lions steadily erased the deficit, tying the set at 19-19 before another 3-0 run put S&T back in front. The Miners closed the set with another 3-0 run, getting a kill from Wilke and an ace from Adelyn Weiler (Ste. Genevieve, MO/Valle Catholic) to complete the 3-0 sweep of their Division I opponent.
MCU 3 – S&T 2
Mississippi Christian charged ahead in the opening set, building a 20-7 lead. The Miners found some rhythm late, putting together a 5-2 run, but the Choctaws held on to claim the first frame.
A pair of kills from Decker helped the Miners gain an early advantage in the second set. Addie Schoenberger (Menomonee Falls, WI/Sussex Hamilton) added three kills during a five-point stretch later in the frame, pushing the S&T lead to four. The Choctaws chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the set at 19-19. The Miners received key kills from Smith and Decker down the stretch, allowing them to pull ahead just enough to take the set 25-23.
Much like the opening set, Mississippi Christian created some early breathing room in the third, taking a 13-7 lead. The Miners cut the deficit to three on multiple occasions but could not complete the comeback as the Choctaws held on for a 25-20 victory.
Needing a fourth-set victory to stay alive, the Miners pulled ahead early, taking a 7-2 lead. MCU answered by taking seven of the next nine points to tie the set at 9-9. Later, a 3-0 run helped S&T build a 16-13 advantage. Wilke sparked a 5-0 run late in the frame, recording two kills and combining with Smith on a pair of blocks as the Miners pulled away for a 25-17 win and forced a decisive fifth set.
An ace by Plunkett and a kill by Avery Patton (Lathrop, MO/Truman) helped the Miners take an 4-1 lead in the fifth. Kills from Decker and Schoenberger helped S&T maintain a three-point advantage at 9-6 midway through the set. The Choctaws responded with three consecutive points to tie the frame at 9-9 before closing the match with a 4-1 run to take the fifth set 15-13.
Mining the Numbers
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Wilke once again led the Miners offensively, recording 29 kills across the two matches and hitting .571 against UAPB. Her 19 kills against MCU marked a career high for the sophomore.
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Wilke also led the Miners defensively, totaling six blocks across the two matches.
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Kaitlyn Brady (Springdale, AR/Rogers) recorded a personal-best 34 assists against Mississippi Christian, finishing the match with a double-double after adding 11 digs.
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Plunkett recorded a pair of personal bests, tallying five aces against UAPB and 10 digs against MCU.
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Decker recorded her third double-double of the season against Mississippi Christian, finishing with 11 kills and a season-high 15 digs.
What's Next
The Miners return to Arkansas next weekend for the Harding Invitational, where they will face Union, Southern Arkansas and Harding.
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