Lady Warriors Go 3-1 at College of the Ozarks Tournament

Point Lookout, Mo. – Lady Warrior volleyball continued to play well this weekend as they traveled to the College of the Ozarks Labor Day Tournament. Sterling played four games against non-conference opponents that really allowed them to see who they are. Sterling won the first three matches fairly convincingly before falling to the host in straight sets.

The weekend started with a blowout, three set win over Mission University. Sterling played well, winning 25-13, 25-14, and 25-18 to get the weekend started. Aliya McClanahan led things at the net with 8 kills and hitting .389 and led the team in blocks with four. Makenna Linden anchored the back row as the libero, racking up 21 digs.

Game two on Friday night was against Stephens College. Last season brought excellent, challenging matches against the Stars, but this night was all Sterling. The Lady Warriors played a tough first set before running away with the easy three set sweep. Sterling won 25-20, 25-13, 25-13. Kodie Herd, Aliya McClanahan, and Morgan Pellegrino made things difficult for the Stars defensive front. The three hitters for Sterling had 9,8, and 7 kills, respectively. McClanahan stood out with a .571 hitting percentage in the match. Linden once again led the way in the back row with another 15 digs.

Sterling played two more matches on Saturday. The first was against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. Again Sterling was able to come away with a three set win, but faced a stronger foe than the previous two games. The Warriors won sets 25-21, 25-19, 25-19. The kill total continued to climb for McClanahan with 16 kills and a .406 hitting percentage. Pellegrino had a solid performance as well with ten kills. This was Linden's best match with 26 digs. Aubrey Young also came through with 27 assists.

The final match was against the host College of Ozarks. Both were solid teams and the score reflected the challenge. Sterling ended up losing their first match of the season 22-25, 21-25, 18-25. McClanahan and Herd each reached double digit kills.

McClanahan finished the four games with 48 kills which is over 3.5 kills per set. The nearest Warrior was Herd with 35 kills of her own. Aubrey Young brought home an additional 126 assists, adding to her career today.

Sterling returns home with a 7-1 overall record and with look to get back to their winning ways facing Stephens College once again next Saturday in Salina, Kan.

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.