Volleyball Goes 3-1 at Thunder Invitational

Manhattan, Kan.-The Sterling College volleyball team traveled to Manhattan, Kan. this past weekend to start their pre-season tournaments at the Thunder Invitational. In a four-game tournament, the Warriors went 3-1, a switch from last season's results in the same tournament.

The Warriors started with a hard-fought, five-match game, against Stephens College, which unfortunately ended in their only loss of the weekend. Tested by stamina and energy, the Warriors met their match early on, losing the first two sets against Stephens, by scores of 29-27 and 25-19. They came back with renewed energy in the third and fourth sets, stealing scores of 25-23 and 25-22. Stephen came out on top in the fifth set, setting an early rhythm against the Warriors and collecting their first win of the tournament with a score of 15-11.

Aliya McClanahan led the attack with 13 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, sophomore Aubrey Young led with 29 digs, followed up with 18 digs from Nyah Isom and Chelsea Coleman. Young also led in assists, totaling 31 for the match.

The Warriors controlled the tournament for the rest of the weekend, winning games on three-match battles. Their first win came from Manhattan Christian, a rapid sweep by Sterling. Emily Peterson and McClanahan took charge at the net with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Both converted well on the opportunities they had with Peterson hitting .429 and McClanahan .379. Young recorded 39 assists on the court, reaching her weekend high. The Warriors had little to worry about on the defensive side of the net, recording just 4 blocks in the match.

Sterling performed another massive sweep against the Central Christian the next morning, stealing a three-set win, rapidly. McClanahan led the offensive front line once again with 13 kills while hitting over .400 once again. McClanahan and Ashlyn Fast made things difficult for the Tiger offense with McClanahan recording 6 blocks and Fast 5. The Warriors also had a strong defensive game, collecting 44 successful digs across the three matches.

Sterling won their final game of the tournament against Cottey College, another three-match sweep. In a rapid succession of wins, the Warriors totaled 37 kills, led by McClanahan with 12 while hitting an incredible .522. Sterling kept strong in their defense as well, collecting 56 digs and 8 blocks, 3 each from Peterson and Fast.

After such a successful tournament, the Warriors look forward to their next tournament: College of the Ozarks Tourney on September 1-2. After that, they battle against Haskell Indian Nations University on September 6, their last game before conference play begins.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.