C of O vs Culver-Stockton College - Friday, August 28

PARAGOULD, Ark. - College of the Ozarks opened its season with a five-set victory Friday, defeating Culver-Stockton 25-22, 21-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-11 in a neutral-site match. The Lady Cats produced 62 kills and nine service aces, then held firm after the Wildcats mounted a late rally in the deciding set.

The Lady Cats appeared ready to run away with the opening set after a kill by Brinley Watson stretched the lead to 21-11. Culver-Stockton answered with an 11-2 surge to pull within 23-22, but the Lady Cats responded when Audrey Riley contributed to a block for set point. An attack error then gave the Lady Cats the 25-22 win. Culver-Stockton evened the match in the second set, although the Lady Cats cut a seven-point deficit to 18-15 with four consecutive points and later drew within two before falling 25-21.

The Lady Cats delivered their sharpest volleyball in the third set. With the score tied 7-7, C of O ripped off six straight points as Watson recorded three kills during the run. Kalli Noell added a late kill, and the team's fourth ace of the set completed a commanding 25-13 win.

Culver-Stockton forced the deciding set by taking the fourth 25-22, but not before another Lady Cat rally made the finish tight. Trailing 18-15, the Lady Cats scored five of the next six points and moved ahead 20-19 on a kill by Brinley Watson. A kill by McKenna McClure later cut the Wildcats' advantage to one, but Culver-Stockton claimed the final two points to tie the match at two sets apiece.

C of O built an 11-6 cushion in the fifth before Culver-Stockton scored four of the next five points to trim the margin to 12-10. The Lady Cats did not allow the comeback to go any further, taking three of the final four points. Watson supplied the match-ending kill and finished with 13 kills and eight digs. Cora Rutledge also had 13 kills while hitting .259, and Kalli Noell contributed 10 kills with a .389 attack percentage.

Audrey Riley filled the stat sheet with 36 assists, nine kills, eight digs, two aces and four total blocks. Emma Godwin anchored the back row with 25 digs, while Anna Howe collected 16 digs and three aces. The Lady Cats finished with advantages in kills (62-43), hitting percentage (.201-.094), assists (57-39), aces (9-6) and digs (82-78).

C of O vs Crowley's Ridge College - Friday, August 28

In their second match of the daym College of the Ozarks battled Crowley’s Ridge College in a four-set match, falling 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17. The Lady Cats showed resilience throughout the match, rallying in multiple sets and taking a closely contested second set.

After falling behind early in the opening set, the Lady Cats responded with consecutive kills from Audrey Riley to take a 5-4 lead. Crowley’s Ridge later built a 20-12 advantage, but the Lady Cats fought back. Anna Brunner sparked a three-point run with a kill, and Cora Rutledge capped another run with a kill to pull the Lady Cats within 22-19 before Crowley’s Ridge closed out the set, 25-19.

College of the Ozarks carried that momentum into the second set, scoring the first three points and building an early 5-1 lead. Back-to-back service aces from Anna Howe gave the Lady Cats a 22-18 advantage. Crowley’s Ridge pulled within one late, but Brunner delivered the set-winning kill to secure a 25-23 victory and even the match.

The Lady Cats continued to battle in the third set after Crowley’s Ridge built a 19-10 lead. McKenna McClure started a five-point rally with a kill, and a block involving Brunner helped cut the deficit to 20-15. Crowley’s Ridge regained momentum and took the set, 25-18.

The fourth set featured four ties and four lead changes. A block involving Riley gave the Lady Cats an 8-7 advantage before Crowley’s Ridge responded with four straight points. Brinley Watson later pulled College of the Ozarks within 14-12 with a kill, but the host created separation down the stretch to close out the match.

Brunner and Rutledge led the Lady Cats with 10 kills each. Brunner hit .240 and added five blocks, including two solo blocks. Riley contributed eight kills, 13 assists, six digs and two blocks, while Kamryn Link recorded a team-high 18 assists. Emma Godwin led the defense with 16 digs, and Howe added four service aces and 13 digs.

College of the Ozarks finished with 42 kills, 65 digs, seven service aces and eight blocks.

C of O vs Missouri Valley College - Saturday, August 29

Walnut Ridge, Ark - College of the Ozarks showed plenty of resilience in a five-set victory over Missouri Valley College on Saturday at the Northeast Arkansas Classic. After dropping the opening set, the Lady Cats responded to win two straight and then survived a tense finish in the fifth, securing a 13-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-25, 15-13 neutral-site victory.

The opening set belonged to Missouri Valley, which pulled away for a 25-13 win. College of the Ozarks quickly found its footing. The Lady Cats took the next two sets by identical 25-20 scores, turning the match around with stronger attacking and steadier play. Missouri Valley answered with a 25-15 win in the fourth, setting up a race to 15 for the match.

That deciding set delivered the afternoon’s biggest moment. College of the Ozarks trailed 13-12 before scoring the final three points. The Lady Cats started the closing run with a kill, and a setting error on the other side moved the them in front. C of O then ended the match with a kill, completing the comeback and giving them a hard-earned victory.

College of the Ozarks finished with 50 kills, 56 digs and nine blocks, numbers that reflected the balanced effort needed to prevail over five sets.

C of O vs Williams Baptist - Saturday, August 29

In the final match of the classic, College of the Ozarks capped its opening weekend with an impressive 3-0 sweep of Williams Baptist University. The Lady Cats controlled the match from start to finish, winning 25-17, 25-14 and 25-20 while hitting an outstanding .423 with 42 kills and just nine attack errors.

The Lady Cats jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the opening set before Williams Baptist rallied to pull within one at 12-11. Cora Rutledge stopped the run with a kill, and College of the Ozarks quickly regained control. Holding an 18-16 advantage, the Lady Cats closed the set with a strong push, highlighted by a Kalli Noell kill during a seven-point run, to take the opener 25-17.

College of the Ozarks carried that momentum into the second set. Brinley Watson delivered back-to-back kills during a 5-0 run that gave the Lady Cats an early 7-2 advantage. Watson later sparked another five-point surge as College of the Ozarks stretched the lead into double digits. Addison Hammond finished off the dominant 25-14 set with a service ace. The Lady Cats were nearly unstoppable offensively, hitting .500 in the set.

The Lady Cats showed their toughness in the third set, battling back from their largest deficit of the match. Trailing 16-11, Rutledge delivered consecutive kills to ignite the comeback. Audrey Riley capped a five-point rally with a kill to tie the set at 16, and Noell followed with another kill to put College of the Ozarks back in front.

From there, the Lady Cats took over. Watson's kill gave College of the Ozarks match point at 24-20 before Kamryn Link sealed the sweep with a service ace.

Noell led a balanced Lady Cats attack with an outstanding performance, recording 10 kills without an error on 12 attempts for an .833 hitting percentage. Watson added nine kills, Rutledge finished with eight and Anna Brunner contributed seven while hitting .429. Brunner also recorded two block assists, while Noell added one.

Riley directed the offense with 16 assists, while Link contributed 15 assists, 10 digs and two service aces. Emma Godwin added eight digs and three aces without a service error.

The Lady Cats held Williams Baptist to a .110 hitting percentage while finishing the match with nine service aces, 31 digs and six block assists.

College of the Ozarks now turns its attention to its home opener, as the Lady Cats welcome rival Evangel University to Keeter Gymnasium on Tuesday, September 1, at 6 p.m. The Lady Cats will look to carry the momentum from a strong opening weekend into an exciting rivalry matchup in front of the home crowd.