WICHITA, Kan. — Missouri Southern State (10-18, 4-12 Mid-America Intercollegiate) swept Newman (3-24, 1-15 Mid-America Intercollegiate) in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Fugate Gymnasium, securing the victory with scores of 25-18, 25-19, and 26-24. Missouri Southern recorded 37 kills and 8 service aces to dominate the match.
Missouri Southern State holds a 10-18 overall record and a 4-12 mark in Mid-America Intercollegiate play. Newman sits at 3-24 overall with a 1-15 record in the Mid-America Intercollegiate standings.
Alana Moesch led the offensive charge with 18 kills on 37 attempts, achieving a hitting percentage of .432 and contributing 20.5 points.
Hannah Allick showcased her serving skills by recording four aces and added 20 assists, playing a crucial role in the team's setup.
Tori Hamilton was active defensively, collecting 12 digs and adding five assists to support the transition plays.
Addysen Alvis was efficient on the attack, tallying 10 kills with a .421 hitting percentage.
Missouri Southern began the first set with momentum, quickly overcoming an initial deficit. After falling behind 3-0, the team responded with key defensive plays including a block by
Fernanda Merancio and
Tiana Simmons that contributed to closing the gap to 3-2. The Lions continued to capitalize on Newman's errors, tying the score at 9-9 and then surging ahead to 11-9 with an ace from Allick. Allick played a pivotal role in maintaining the lead, assisting multiple kills and delivering another critical service ace. Moesch and Simmons added significant points, helping to extend the lead to 20-15. The Lions maintained control throughout the latter stages of the set, finishing with a 25-18 victory after a decisive kill from Alvis.
In the second set, MSSU capitalized on Newman's errors to gain an early advantage. Following a service error from Newman, Allick and Moesch combined for a block to further extend the lead. Moesch's consistent performance, with multiple kills from assists by
Mataiya Barber and Hamilton, kept Southern ahead. Allick contributed significantly with two consecutive service aces, pushing the score to 14-8. Moesch continued her impactful play, including a key kill assisted by Allick to maintain the momentum. Despite a late push from Newman, the Lions closed the set with a decisive kill from Moesch, resulting in a 25-19 victory.
The third set commenced with Newman taking an early 3-0 lead, capitalizing on a service error and a ball-handling error by Merancio. Missouri Southern responded with a series of plays led by Alvis, who contributed with a kill and benefited from Moesch's service ace to equalize at 3-3. The teams exchanged points with Newman edging ahead 9-6, only for the Lions to level the score again at 9-9 following a kill by Moesch. Midway through the set, Southern managed to keep the score tight, with Alvis and Moesch combining for crucial points. Despite Newman's attempts to pull ahead, the Lions consistently answered back, managing to tie the game at various intervals. Key plays from Alvis and Moesch were instrumental in keeping the contest even, with the score standing at 20-20 as the set drew to a close. In the final sequence, Alvis and Moesch continued their impactful performance, pushing Missouri Southern to a 24-24 tie. A service ace by Barber and a decisive kill by Moesch sealed the set for the Lions, who closed out the set 26-24.
