Columbia, MO - Stephens College volleyball opened its home schedule at Silverthorne Arena on Tuesday night, taking the first set before dropping a 3-1 decision to Evangel University. Set scores were 25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 7-25.

The Stars came out strong in the opening frame, hitting .324 as a team while limiting Evangel to just .081. Stephens controlled the pace early and closed the set on a run to secure a 25-15 win.

Momentum shifted in the second set as Evangel found its rhythm offensively, evening the match and then pulling ahead in the third. The Valor closed out the match with an efficient fourth set to seal the road victory.

Amari Branch-Autman and Makenna Bollinger led the Stars with eight kills each, while Lena Hunziker added nine. Branch-Autman also contributed five block assists at the net. Setter Emma Whitson handed out 25 assists, and libero Lilah Gardner finished with a team-high 18 digs to anchor the defense.

As a team, Stephens totaled 32 kills and 59 digs on the night. 

Stephens moves to 3-6 on the year and will return to action this weekend to start conference play against Crowley's Ridge College and Williams Baptist College.