Columbia, MO - Stephens College volleyball put together a perfect day on Saturday, Sept. 19, earning back-to-back victories over Williams Baptist University and Cottey College. The Stars opened the day with a five-set comeback victory over Williams Baptist before completing the sweep with a straight-set win over Cottey.
Match One: Stars 3, Eagles 2
Stephens battled back from a two-set deficit to defeat Williams Baptist, 15-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-16, 16-14.
After dropping the opening two sets, Stephens began to turn things around in the third. The Stars hit .269 in the frame before producing an even stronger fourth set, recording 16 kills and a .394 hitting percentage to force a deciding fifth set.
Stephens saved its best offensive performance for last. The Stars committed no attacking errors in the fifth set, recording 14 kills on 24 attempts for a .583 hitting percentage to complete the comeback with a 16-14 victory.
Michalina Oles led the Stephens attack with 21 kills while hitting .425, adding two service aces and three total blocks. Mercedes Britto was nearly flawless offensively, finishing with 13 kills and no errors on 22 attempts for a .591 hitting percentage. Jocelyn Rios added 11 kills, while Kayla Peckham contributed seven.
Audrey Dinwiddie directed the offense with 48 assists while also recording six kills on 12 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. Defensively, Danika Brase led the Stars with 20 digs, while Syerra Mitchell added 11.
Stephens finished the match with 61 kills and a .276 hitting percentage while also recording eight service aces and 65 digs.
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Match Two: Stars 3, Comets 0
The Stars carried the momentum into their second match of the day, sweeping Cottey 25-16, 25-22, 25-17 to improve to 4-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
Stephens controlled the match offensively, hitting .252 as a team while holding Cottey to a .154 hitting percentage. The Stars opened with a strong .316 performance in the first set before closing out the sweep by limiting Cottey to eight kills and a .059 hitting percentage in the third.
Oles once again led the way offensively with 13 kills and a .281 hitting percentage while also recording three service aces. Rios followed with 11 kills, and Alyssa Jackson added nine kills while hitting .286 and contributing five block assists.
Dinwiddie finished with 35 assists, four kills and eight digs, while Sabrina Rodriguez anchored the defense with a match-high 21 digs and added two service aces. Mitchell and Alanis Francelino each collected 10 digs.
Stephens finished the match with 44 kills, 62 digs and nine service aces to cap off an undefeated day.
