Tabor came away with a volleyball win Saturday over Southwestern College at home. They jump-started the rebound Thursday with a win over second-place Friends University, after losing a home match to Kansas Wesleyan Sept. 27.
?This was a big week for our team,? said head coach Amy Ratzlaff. ?Tuesday’s loss was a good turning point for our team, and the result of that was a big factor in the Friends match.
?The Friends game was a good battle and I saw the team relax and enjoy the game of volleyball. They played with intensity but had a great time all evening. That win is one of my favorite wins – being down 8-13 in the fifth game and coming back to win is an unbelievable experience. The excitement simply carried over into Saturday.?
The wins over Southwestern and Friends, a school that won the conference title last year, puts Tabor at 9-8 for their season and 5-3 in the KCAC.
Bluejay Hollie Tabor was named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the week.
? Hollie had a great week of play,? Ratzlaff said about the honor. ?Not only did she lead us in digs per game defensively, she led us in consistent serve-receive passes. She performed well under pressure and took ownership of her position as an anchor for our defense.?
Southwestern ?Tabor made short work of Southwestern (1-7, 3-15), winning the match 25-23, 25-20, 25-14.
Tina Frick had 11 kills and Jessie Vogts 10 to lead the Blue?jays. Hollister Wolf led on the defensive end with 15 digs and a solo block; Hollie Tabor added 13 digs. Frick and Vogts each had two blocks.
Friends?The Bluejays fought a back-and-forth struggle with a strong Friends team. They dropped the first game, 23-25, won the next two, 25-20, 25-22, but could not close out the fourth game and lost 26-24.
Tabor trailed in the fifth game but rallied late for a 17-15 win.
?That is an experience of a lifetime, to be able to come back from behind in a fifth game and win,? coach Amy Ratzlaff said. ?You?re just not sure how you feel about your abilities and your teammates? abilities, and they came up with some big plays at the end.?
Three Tabor players hit double digits in kills. Tina Frick led with 20 while Jessica Wollen?burg and Jessie Vogts contributed 11 and 10, respectively. Setter Hollister Wolf contributed 50 assists for the offense.
On defense, Hollie Tabor led with 23 digs. Wolf had 16 digs and Cortney Janzen registered five blocks.
?I think the great thing is, we had great plays from every single position,? Ratzlaff said. ?Blocking, hitting, there wasn?t one thing that carried us. Everybody did their job.
?If I can have a team like that, where everyone plays together, it makes it so much fun. I?m glad they battled back.?
Kansas Wesleyan ?Tabor took the first game, 25-18, in a bid to come on strong against the conference leader, but dropped the next three, 21-25, 7-25, 27-29.
Tina Frick registered 18 of Tabor?s 29 kills, with Jessie Vogts and Jessica Wollenburg contributing nine and eight kills, respectively. Hollister Wolf had 38 assists.
Four Tabor players had double-digit digs, with Amy Jo Maphet putting up 15, Hollie Tabor 14, Jessica Dixon 12 and Wolf 11.
Frick, Wolf and Wollenburg had four, three and three blocks, respectively.
Coming?Tabor is scheduled to play at Bethany College Oct. 4 before traveling to Baker Univer?sity Saturday.