COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Stephens College volleyball team started their AMC conference season on a high note, defeating Cottey College in four sets (25-21, 25-16, 24-26, 28-26) on Tuesday night. The Stars improved to 4-11 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Stephens was led by a stellar offensive performance from junior middle hitter Amari Branch-Autman, who registered a match-high 18 kills on a .533 hitting percentage. Jamie Russell added 14 kills and three blocks, while sophomore Madison Threlkeld contributed 11 kills.

The Stars opened the match strong, claiming the first two sets behind efficient attacking and solid defense. Stephens hit .263 in the second set, with Emma Whitson dishing out 54 assists and adding three service aces.

Cottey (5-11, 0-1 AMC) fought back in the third set, narrowly edging the Stars 26-24 to extend the match. However, Stephens regrouped in a thrilling fourth set, overcoming multiple lead changes to close out the match 28-26.

Libero Jatnna Peña-Perez was key on defense, recording a match-high 31 digs and contributing two service aces. Defensively, the Stars tallied 86 digs and 10 block assists, effectively shutting down Cottey's offense, which hit just .071 as a team.

Despite the efforts of Cottey's outside hitter, who led her team with 10 kills and 14 digs, Stephens' balanced attack and solid defense proved too much for the Comets to handle.

Stephens will look to build on their strong conference start when they face off against William Woods University at Silverthorne Arena at 6 pm on Sept. 26.