CONCORDIA, Kan. – After winning the opening set by a score of 25-18, the Cloud County Community College volleyball team would be unable to find another set victory as part of a four-set home defeat to number-13 ranked Seward County Community College inside Arley Bryant Gymnasium on Wednesday, October 19th.
Falling to 7-17 overall, Cloud County is now 4-11 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference with one more conference match remaining while the Saints improve to 26-5 overall and 13-1 in the KJCCC after winning their eighth straight match.
A quick start from SCCC in the opening set would allow Seward County to jump out to a lead of 5-1 before extending their lead to six at 9-3 to force an early T-Bird timeout. Out of the timeout, Cloud County would get a kill from freshman Katelyn Brogan that would help start a 9-1 run that included eight-straight points for CCCC with
Madelynn Wells at the service line to grab a 12-10 lead over the Saints. Seward County would break the run with a kill before an attack error would allow the T-Birds to go on an 8-1 run that would extend the lead to a set-high eight points at 20-12 in favor of CCCC. Seward County would begin to cut into the deficit by scoring four of the next six points to get back within six at 22-16, but the T-Birds would see the lead be large enough to secure the final three points needed to end the set with a 25-18 victory to go up 1-0 in the match.
Following the set victory for Cloud County, the Saints would respond by breaking an early 5-5 deadlock in the second set by scoring four of the next six points to open up a 9-7 lead. Back-to-back errors from SCCC would allow CCCC to tie things back up at 9-9 momentarily as Seward County slowly begin to build a lead that would force a T-Bird timeout after falling behind 15-12. Out of the timeout, the two teams would go on to trade the next four points of the set before seeing the Saints start to pull away by going on a set-ending 8-1 run to tie the match at 1-1 after a 25-16 set victory.
The third set would see Cloud County get out to an early 5-1 lead before a Saint response that would see Seward County score five of the next six points to get back even in the set at 6-6. Neither team would be able to build a lead of more than two points over the course of the next 14 points as things would remain tight midway through the set. With the score sitting at 14-12 in favor of SCCC, the Saints would once again find a way to make a late run to pull away from Cloud County as a 6-1 run would turn a 15-14 Seward County lead into a 21-15 lead that would allow SCCC to finish off a 25-17 set victory to go up in the match 2-1.
Little time would be wasted by Seward County in the fourth as the first six points of the set would be scored by the Saints while building an early 11-2 lead over the T-Birds. Trying to find any kind of spark on the offensive end, Cloud County would manage to use a
Jacey Schurle kill to kick off a 4-1 run that would bring the T-Birds back within six at 13-7 before seeing SCCC put together a 7-1 run that would all but put the score out of reach at 20-8. Down the stretch, CCCC would go back and forth with the Saints by trading points over the course of the next six points to cut the deficit to 10 at 22-12, but the final three points of the match would be scored by Seward County to end things with a 25-12 set win.
As a team, Cloud County would record 38 total kills and four service aces as the Saints would hold advantages in kills (53), service aces (seven), blocks (nine), and set assists (52). Digs would be tied for the match at 60 digs per team. Individually, CCCC would get a team-best eight kills from freshman
Madison Ronnebaum while Brogan and
Kenzie Cooper would each finish with seven kills. Leading CCCC in set assists would be freshman
Brette Doile while digs would see both Wells and Doile finish with 13 apiece.
What's Next?
Cloud County returns to action on Saturday, October 22nd with two more home matches in non-conference action by hosting the Ottawa University JV team and Southeast Community College for a triangular beginning at 2 PM. Cloud County and Ottawa JV will start things at 2 PM before seeing Southeast Community College take on Ottawa JV at approximately 3:30 PM. The final match of the day will be between CCCC and SCC which is approximately scheduled for 5 PM.
