The Tabor College volleyball team ended its season with a 3-0 loss to Ottawa in the KCAC tournament quarterfinals Tuesday.
?We had a lot of hitters that hit in the negatives, and it?s going to be hard to win in the tournament with that many errors,? coach Amy Ratzlaff said.
?They understand that, and it definitely wasn?t any lack of effort on anyone?s part.?
Tabor had 11 hitting errors and 10 kills in Set 1 and lost, 25-18.
The Braves kept their momentum rolling into Set 2 as Ottawa built a 22-9 lead and went on to win, 25-10.
Tabor?s attacking improved in Set 3, and the Bluejays held a 16-12 advantage. But the Braves tied it at 18 and went on to win, 25-20.
Tabor managed 29 kills but had 25 errors in 121 total attempts for an attacking percentage of .033. Katelin Horstick led with 10 kills.
Ottawa, however, had 39 kills and 10 errors in 109 attempts for an attack percentage of .266.
Megan Voth had 16 assists. Kelsea Brittain added two service aces, and Whitney Maple added 13 digs.
For three seniors?Madison Hoover, Whitney Maple and Daniele Wendland?it was their last time in a Tabor volleyball uniform.
?All three of those seniors saw significantly more playing time this year,??Ratzlaff said. ?(They) hadn?t seen as much varsity time in the past, so that?s always fun to see that kind of payoff for their diligence throughout their careers here.?
Reflecting back on the 12-19 season, Ratzlaff said she saw growth in her young team as the season progressed, including close losses to the KCAC?s top two teams in Kansas Wesleyan and Friends.
?It?s hard because your record never reflects competitiveness, and we were competing with the top teams,? she said. ?Those losses definitely probably come down to a little bit of maturity.
?To see the women prepare for Kansas Wesleyan and prepare for Friends and then follow game plans for a portion of those matches is a really good sign that they have the ability to really compete well.?
Ratzlaff looks forward to continuing to grow the Tabor volleyball program.
?We had a smaller squad this year because I knew we would be young and didn?t want to split my time up a lot,??she said. ?We have some key positions returning. Anytime you return some significant positions, you then can really build a squad.
?We?ll bring in a significant number of girls, not because the talent isn?t here but just because we need to now move forward and continue to build in numbers.?
