Columbia, MO - The Stephens College volleyball team earned a hard-fought five-set victory over Cottey College on Tuesday evening at Silverthorne Arena. After taking the first two sets, the Stars battled through a Cottey comeback to secure the 3-2 win (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 23-25, 15-13). With the victory, Stephens improved to 6-14 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
The Stars came out strong in the opening set, recording 16 kills and a .204 hitting percentage to take a 25-20 victory. Stephens carried that momentum into the second set, adding 14 kills while hitting .209 to claim a 25-19 win and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Cottey responded in the third set, narrowly edging the Stars 26-24 in a tightly contested battle. The Comets continued their comeback in the fourth set, taking a 25-23 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
With the match on the line, Stephens regrouped in the fifth set. The final frame featured nine ties and five lead changes as both teams fought for control. The Stars ultimately came out on top, securing a 15-13 victory to complete the five-set win in front of their home crowd.
Michalina Oles led the Stars offensively with a match-high-tying 22 kills on a .267 hitting percentage. She also contributed two service aces and three block assists, finishing with a team-high 25.5 points. Anna Bradley followed with 13 kills and 11 digs, while Jocelyn Rios added 12 kills.
Freshman setter Audrey Dinwiddie directed the Stephens offense with 49 assists while contributing 19 digs, three kills and a service ace. Defensively, Danika Brase led the Stars with 25 digs, while Alanis Francelino added 19 and Sabrina Rodriguez recorded 14.
At the net, Alyssa Jackson made a significant impact with two solo blocks and two block assists while also contributing three service aces. Mercedes Brito added seven kills, one solo block and four block assists.
As a team, Stephens finished with 61 kills, 57 assists, 107 digs, 10 service aces and 10 total blocks. The Stars' strong defensive effort and ability to finish in the deciding set helped secure their fifth conference victory of the season.
