Victory for Knights' Volleyball in Double Home Header! 
 

Summary: 

At 12 p.m. on Oct. 14th, the Knights faced Trinity College. Trinity took a brutal point the first set, but the Knights regrouped. They hounded Trinity in the next three games and won the match. The next match was against Barclay College at 4 p.m. The Knights won the first game, thoroughly, but the opponents came back the second set. The pressure pushed the Knights to a win in the following two games.  

How it Happened: 

• The first match and first game began with the Knights struggling to keep up with their opponents with a series of errors. Around Trinity's 12th point, the Knights began to inch up with a couple of kills and a service ace. But Trinity maintained the advantage and took the first set.  

• In stark contrast, the second set of the Trinity match began with the Knights' dominance. Lizzie Deaton started off with two kills, and Janie Wilson made two aces. The abrupt change had Trinity disoriented, but they recovered and began creeping up the scoreboard. Yet the Knights kept pushing and took the set 25-17. 

• The third set, the two teams were right on each other, one barely getting two points ahead before the other caught up. It wasn't until the teams were tied at 12 points that Spurgeon began charging ahead. The Knights sailed through the last half of the set, claiming it with another 25-17 score.  

• The fourth set, Trinity's discouragement set in. The Knights started with two kills and an ace after a Trinity fumble. There was a brief moment when it looked like Trinity could catch up when they scored their 3rd point, but the Knights were relentless. The final set ended 25-10, a total victory for the Spurgeon Knights.  

• The Knights had only a short respite before their second match against Barclay College began at 4 p.m. The first set of this second match started with a little bit of back and forth, but for every point Barclay made, Spurgeon had two. The slow progression wore Barclay down, and the last five points, the Knights won all in row, seizing the set at 25-13.  

• The second set was drastically different. A series of errors led Barclay forward, then they began to launch kills against the Knights. After a timeout for Spurgeon College, the Knights gained a few points, but Barclay had the advantage. Though the Knights fought for control of the ball, Barclay eventually took the set 25-19.  

• The third set, the Knights regrouped. Again, the score was pretty balanced until the teams tied at 10 points. Without warning, the Knights broke through the pattern, scoring six times, uninterpreted except for Barclay's timeout. Though the Knights' breakthrough streak faded, they kept climbing and won 25-21.  

• In the fourth and final set, the Knights took the lead early. The set continued with the steady back and forth that is typical, but the Knights kept the advantage, smoothly winning the match with the game at 25-17.  

Highlights: 

• The star defensive player of both matches was Hailey Mueller, with 31 digs between the two. She stayed on the ball and saved the Knights from many opposing hits.  

• In the Trinity match, the stats showed an intense focus on defense and a spread of the load for offensive work, though Lizzie Deaton again took the lead with the number of kills (16). Janie Wilson and Deaton both had 4 service aces. 

• The Barclay match, the Knights had a little bit more offensive thrust, showing adaptivity to the team that they faced. Deaton had 18 kills, followed by Hannah Hudson and Janie Wilson, with 9 and 8 respectively.  

• Timry Goodman had 72 assists between the two matches, and otherwise contributed offensive and defensive plays. 

Up Next:  

Oct. 17th was the official volleyball home tailgate against Faith Baptist Bible. This was followed by a home game against Manhattan Christian on Oct. 19th and Kansas Christian college on the 24th. The last home game of the season will be on the 31st, so come out to support the Knights as they wrap things up!