FARMERS BRANCH, Texas.
Spurgeon College earned a pair of straight-set victories Saturday, October 3, defeating Dallas Christian College and Huston-Tillotson University to improve to 11-7. Shannon Skinner led the opener with 15 kills and 11 digs, while Naomi Gibler supplied efficient offense throughout the day.
The Knights beat Dallas Christian 25-21, 25-14, 25-17 before taking all three sets against Huston-Tillotson, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22. Spurgeon finished with more kills and a higher hitting percentage than its opponent in both matches.
THE RUNDOWN
Against Dallas Christian, Spurgeon opened with 11 kills in the first set before sharpening its attack in the second. The Knights hit .316 with 15 kills and only three attack errors in the 25-14 win, then recorded 16 kills in the closing set to complete the sweep.
Skinner hit .345, and Jayci McKinney added 10 kills. Madison Byers contributed nine kills on .421 hitting, three blocks and two aces. Charis Goodell directed the offense with 31 assists.
The afternoon matchup brought three closer sets. Spurgeon took the opener with five kills and two attack errors, then produced 13 kills in the second set to move ahead 2-0. Eight third-set kills helped finish another sweep.
Gibler recorded seven kills without an error on 11 attempts against Huston-Tillotson, hitting .636. Skinner added seven kills and three aces, while Analisa Rodriguez collected 15 digs. The Knights registered seven team blocks and held Huston-Tillotson to a .000 hitting percentage.
SCORE HIGHLIGHTS
Spurgeon Individuals: Across both matches, Skinner totaled 22 kills and 19 digs; Gibler recorded 14 kills without an attack error; Goodell contributed 52 assists; Rodriguez gathered 29 digs.
Dallas Christian Individuals: Zoelley Herrera totaled six kills and 10 assists; Rosalind Spikes added six kills; Jamie Maddy finished with five kills.
Huston-Tillotson Individuals: Brandi Edmonds led with six kills and three solo blocks; Jordis Taylor recorded four kills and 24 digs; Gracie George added 18 digs.
Key Team Stats: Against Dallas Christian, Spurgeon led in kills (42-25), hitting percentage (.250-.115), aces (9-5), digs (54-39) and blocks (4-3). Against Huston-Tillotson, the Knights led in kills (26-23) and hitting percentage (.120-.000), finishing with 51 digs and seven blocks.
KEY NOTES
- Spurgeon finished the doubleheader 11-7 overall.
- Skinner recorded a double-double against Dallas Christian.
- Gibler hit .583 across both matches, totaling 14 kills on 24 error-free attempts.
- The Knights won all six sets.
UP NEXT
Spurgeon travels to Union Adventist University in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Friday, October 9, for a 4 p.m. matchup. Fans are encouraged to support the Knights on the road as they look to build on their two-win Saturday.
