Tight Match Ends in Defeat Against Tabor

Sterling, Kan. – The Lady Warriors played the Tabor College Bluejays at home on Wednesday evening looking to right the ship after a tough week playing some of the KCAC's top volleyball teams. Two evenly matched teams took the court and battled it out in a four-set match. Sterling took a 3-1 loss to Tabor after many long rallies and drawn-out points.

Sterling trailed most of the way in the first set before putting together an impressive run late. Sterling was down 18-14 when they took a well-timed timeout. Sterling scored 11 of the next 13 points to win the set 25-20. During the run, Sterling scored six straight points which turned a tough, four-point deficit into a two-point lead.

Sterling took their hot finish and turned it into a cold second-set start. Tabor scored nine of the first ten points, setting Sterling at a significant disadvantage. They were able to rally and cut the lead to just three before things leveled back off and Tabor held Sterling at arm's length. Tabor won set 2, 25-16.

The Warriors let Tabor control the opening points in the third set at well. Sterling quickly found themselves in a 7-1 hole early on. The closest Sterling could cut the lead was 5 points before the Bluejays took the set, 25-17.

Undeterred, the Warriors fought hard in the fourth set, starting with a small lead and then falling into a number of back and forth lead changes and ties in the match. With a great crowd adding to the intensity of the evening, the Warriors and their fans were hanging on every point. Neither team was able to put a run of more than three points together in the set, and of course, it came down to extra points to determine the winner of the set. Tied at 24, the Bluejays found a way to capture the last 2 points of the set and win 26-24 and take the match 3-1.

Emily Peterson had quite the night offensively finding holes in the Bluejay defense and making great decisions when to attack hard or tip balls just over the defense. She ended the night with 15 kills to lead the Warriors. Aliya McClanahan scored 9 kills but was most productive with 6 blocks, 4 of which were solo blocks. Aubrey Young continues to be multi-faceted leading the Warriors in both assists (33) and digs (11). Makenna Linden also finished in double-figure digs with 10.

The Warriors are now 11-7 (2-4) this season and are looking to get over a 3 game skid. Sterling hosts a tri this Saturday, October 7, in the Gleason Center. They will play a conference game with Friends University at 1 pm to start things off and will finish the day with USAO at 5 pm.

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 all of the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.