Lady Bluejays inch closer to KCAC title
Tabor volleyball team
beats St. Mary, Sterling
for 14 straight wins
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
With one game to go the Bluejays almost can taste their fourth straight KCAC title.
Tabor (14-2 KCAC, 18-10) wrapped up another perfect week Saturday in Leavenworth, polishing off the St. Mary Lady Spire in three games, 30-27, 30-14, and 30-20.
The long road trip to Leavenworth could have had some effect on the Bluejays.
"During the St. Mary match, we started out passing poorly," said Bluejay coach Amy Ratzlaff. "It took us until point 21 to undo the damage we did early on in the first game.
"After we won the first game, the good volleyball team I knew I brought along with me took over and played better volleyball the rest of the game."
Earning both KCAC and Region VI setter of the week honors, Anne Gunden had 27 assists.
Staci Whitcomb and Lindsey Vogts combined for 20 kills with Whitcomb supplying a team-high 12 to go along with nine digs, defensively.
Erin Loewen spearheaded the Bluejay defense with 11 digs while Jill Hein pitched in with eight digs and blocks.
"This was a solid conference week for us," Ratzlaff said. "We knew this week would be very important in the race to the end. The ladies took care of the business of winning ball games to maintain conference position.
"Next week, we need to buckle down and play good volleyball to earn the right to be called champions and build momentum going into the KCAC tournament."
Two days prior to the long trip to Leavenworth, the Bluejays tore through Sterling in three games, 30-28, 30-25, and 30-13.
"Sterling played pretty well the first game," said Ratzlaff. "It looked like they came in ready to go and they were hitting the ball at us.
"We didn't play our greatest game in the first game, either. We definitely picked up our game as the night went along and they let theirs go."
The Bluejays close out the regular season tonight when they travel to Winfield for a meeting with the Southwestern Lady 'Builders in a 7 p.m. start.
