COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Stephens College Stars put up a strong fight but fell to Columbia College 1-3 (23-25, 12-25, 25-23, 14-25) in a road contest at the Southwell Complex.

Despite the loss, Stephens (5-12, 2-1 AMC) showed resilience, taking a set from Columbia for the second consecutive year.

The Stars came out strong in the first set, pushing Columbia (11-9, 3-0 AMC) to the edge before falling 23-25. Middle hitter Amari Branch-Autman led Stephens with 11 kills, while Jamie Russell added 10. The first set saw Stephens battle back from multiple deficits, including a late push that tied the score at 23-23, but the Cougars secured the win.

Columbia dominated the second set with a 12-25 victory as the Stars struggled to find their rhythm.

Stephens regrouped in the third set, relying on strong defense and blocking from Branch-Autman and Makenna Bollinger, which forced Columbia into several attack errors. 

Setter Emma Whitson facilitated the offense with 32 assists, and Stephens capitalized, winning the set 25-23.

In the fourth set, Columbia's offense surged again, leading to a 25-14 win that sealed the match despite a determined effort from the Stars.

Whitson directed the offense with her 32 assists, while libero, Jatnna Peña-Perez anchored the defense with a team-high 20 digs and chipped in two kills. Russell also contributed 10 kills, adding a solo block and a block assist.

The Stars will aim to bounce back when they travel to Palos Heights, Ill., to compete in the Trinity Christian College Trolls Tournament on Friday, Oct. 4, with their first match starting at 6 p.m.