A 3-1 week boosted the Tabor College volleyball to a 6-2 record for the season and a 1-0 start in the KCAC.
Evangel?Tabor went 2-1 at the Evangel Tournament Friday and Saturday, opening with a 3-1 victory over William Woods (25-23, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21).
Tena Loewen led Tabor with 12 kills, with Jessie Vogts and Katelin Horstick adding 11 and Katie Kauf?man 10.
Hollister Wolf had 39 assists. Amy Jo Maphet and Kaufman each recorded two service aces.
Maphet was named Libero of the Week for her 65 digs over 15 sets. She also served five aces.
Tabor dropped its game against host Evangel University, 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 25-21, 13-25).
Vogts and Courtney Erwin led Tabor with 11 kills apiece, while Loewen recorded 10. Wolf had 41 assists. Vogts also led the team with two ace serves. Kaufman had two solo blocks.
Tabor ended the tournament with a 3-1 win over College of the Ozarks (25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 25-21).
Vogts finished with a team-high 15 kills, followed by Kaufman with 14. Kaufman also contributed a team-high four service aces.
Wolf led with 44 assists and was named Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, finishing with 146 total assists over four games last week. She also recorded 61 digs, three ace serves and four kills.
Loewen added two solo blocks.
Southwestern?Tabor was a well-oiled machine in its home-opener victory Wednesday against KCAC foe Southwestern (25-11, 25-10, 25-13).
?I was really pleased with my girls,? coach Amy Ratzlaff said. ?You can?t win a game in five minutes. You have to work hard, and I feel like they put the work in and that?s what made it fun.
?Southwestern can hit the ball, so I was really thankful (my players) got in there and did what they needed to do to play well the whole evening.?
In the first set, Southwes?tern took an early 2-0 lead, but Tabor built a double-digit, 13-3, advantage and never looked back.
The Bluejays attacked the net all night long. Tena Loewen led the team with 12 kills, followed by Katie Kauf?man with 10.
The first set ended with a kill from Loewen for the 25-11 win. The second set saw more of the same. Tabor built a 10-1 lead and later scored eight straight points for a 21-8 advantage. Tabor coasted to the 25-10 win.
The Bluejays completed the sweep with a 25-13 win in the third set. Although Southwestern drew within 13-9, the Bluejays gained distance to lead 19-9 and cruised to the end.
?Our passing and defenders were exceptional,? Ratzlaff said. ?You always notice our hitters?and our hitters are exceptional in that they don?t make very many errors. I think people don?t realize our passes and defenders tonight made that offense a lot easier.
?In my opinion, that was one of the most exciting parts is how consistent our back row was.?
Another key to the victory was good ball movement by senior setter Hollister Wolf (23 assists), Ratzlaff said.
?We had a lot of contributors on the court, so it didn?t really feel like we were having to always shift to make something work,??she said. ?Everything was just kind of clicking, and they could just play their spots and enjoy their positions and not have to worry about somebody else?s position.
?I feel like everybody pulled their weight tonight, and it just made it so much more fun.?
Coming?Tabor is scheduled to play at Bethel today at 7 p.m. and will follow with the Kansas Wesleyan Invita?tional Friday and Saturday. Friday?s action is scheduled for 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., while Saturday games will be at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
