Bluejay netters sweep Ottawa
After her team dropped its first conference match of the season Sept. 30 against the hosting Kansas Wesleyan Lady Coyotes, Tabor volleyball coach Amy Ratzlaff was left looking for consistency from her team.
"Every season has its own little speed bumps in it, and I think we hit one," she said of her team's tumbling in four sets to KWU. "We just had to get over it."
Apparently the Bluejays have some good shock absorbers.
Tabor bounced back from its defeat two days earlier Oct. 2 against the visiting Ottawa Lady Braves.
Having faced the Braves nearly a week earlier at the Mid-America Nazarene Tournament Sept. 26-27, the Bluejays again upended Ottawa, this time sweeping the Braves.
Tabor was victorious in its respective matches, 30-26, 30-23 and 30-20.
"I think we lost some aggressiveness Tuesday, and I think through the match tonight we found it again," Ratzlaff said. "Ottawa is a good team, and I think they'll go far once they get their setter back.
"I don't think we played them as strong tonight as we did the first time actually, the odds just happened to be in our favor tonight, and the women took care of the job."
Sara McAllister, not competing at 100 percent, led the team in assists with 31 in the win.
Shannon Kroeker paced the Bluejays with 11 kills, and Laura Campbell added seven blocks.
Two days earlier in Salina, the Bluejays fell victim to a four-set ambush by the Coyotes.
After dropping the first two sets, 30-28 and 30-26, respectively, Tabor forced a fourth set by winning the third, 30-26.
With McAllister partially sidelined due to a back injury sustained in Olathe, the Coyotes won the pivotal fourth game, 30-22.
Campbell led the Bluejays with 14 kills and seven total blocks, four solo and three assisted.
The Bluejays travel today to North Newton to face their bitter-rival Bethel in a 7 p.m. start.
Tabor then travels Saturday to Wichita to take on Friends with game-time scheduled for 11 a.m.
The Bluejays return home Monday for a meeting with the St. Mary Lady Spires at 7 p.m.
