Canton, MO - The Stephens College volleyball team wrapped up a competitive weekend in Canton, Missouri, with two matches on Saturday at Charles Field House. The Stars opened the day with a tightly contested five-set battle against the University of Saint Mary before responding with a commanding sweep over Culver-Stockton College later in the afternoon.
Match 1: Stars 2, Spires 3
Stephens College volleyball battled through a five-set match on Saturday but came up just short against the University of Saint Mary, falling 3–2 (15–25, 25–21, 22–25, 25–22, 8–15) in the first match of the day at the Charles Field House in Canton, Missouri. The Stars moved to 13–10 on the season after a hard-fought effort that featured several long rallies and momentum swings.
After dropping the opening set, Stephens responded with an efficient second frame, hitting .281 as a team and earning a 25–21 win to even the match. The Stars continued to compete point for point with the Spires over the next three sets, but Saint Mary closed out the match with a strong fifth set to secure the win.
Michalina Oles led the Stephens offense with 16 kills on a .281 hitting percentage, while Lena Hunziker added 13 kills and six digs. Amari Branch-Autman finished with six kills and three aces, providing a spark from the service line, and Fernanda Izar contributed four kills and four block assists. Setter Emma Whitson recorded 31 assists, one ace, and eight digs in a steady performance running the attack.
Defensively, libero Jatnna Peña Pérez once again anchored the back row with 24 digs and two service aces. Syerra Mitchell also added two aces, while Izar and Oles combined for 10 total blocks at the net.
Stephens showed resilience and energy throughout the match, pushing one of the region's stronger teams to the limit. The Stars will look to bounce back quickly as they continue play later in the day in Canton.
Match 2: Stars 3, Cougars 0
In their second match of the day, Stephens bounced back in a big way, sweeping Culver-Stockton College 3–0 (25–20, 25–16, 25–19) to close out the weekend on a high note. The Stars improved to 14–10 overall with a strong offensive showing that featured efficient hitting and steady defensive work.
Stephens hit .295 as a team, led by Lena Hunziker with 14 kills and nine digs. Amari Branch-Autman followed with 11 kills, two aces, and three total blocks, while Fernanda Izar added eight kills on a .538 hitting percentage. Michalina Oles also chipped in six kills, helping power a balanced offensive effort.
Setter Emma Whitson distributed the ball well once again, finishing with 41 assists, while libero Jatnna Peña Pérez led the back row with 21 digs and two aces. Cagla Aslan added four kills on .444 hitting, providing another steady presence at the net.
The Stars came out sharp in the opening set and never looked back, building on their energy from start to finish. Stephens' crisp passing and efficient attacking allowed the team to maintain control throughout all three sets, closing out the day with a dominant sweep.
Stephens' performance capped off a strong showing in Canton, where the Stars demonstrated both resilience and execution across two matches.
