Point Lookout, MO – College of the Ozarks Volleyball notched their second win in a row Thursday, after defeating Stephens College (Columbia, MO) in five sets (17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 15-12) on Wednesday. The Lady Cats welcomed Peru State College (Peru, NE) to Keeter Gymnasium and took care of the Bobcats from up north in four sets.

The opening set saw the two teams trading points in the early going and neither team could pull away. Four straight service points by Abby Chadwell, with help from an ace and two Christa Duffel kills, turned the tide, however and the Lady Cats built a 14-8 lead. Kills by Grace Hancock and Bailey Chamberlain kept the pressure on Peru State and a pair of kills by Bri Linehan put the Lady Cats close to a set one win. Grace Hancock slammed one home on the Peru State side of the net and the Lady Cats took set one, 25-18.

Peru State took the early lead in set two but the Lady Cats Used Kills by Brooklyn Craford and Bailey Chamberlain to even the score. The teams battled to a 10-10 tie before the Lady Cats turned up the pressure again. Kills by Abby Chadwell, Bailey Chamberlain, and Kamryn Link put together an 8-3 run and the Lady Cats took an 18-13 lead. Brooklyn Crawford combined with a Kamryn Link service ace and the Lady Cats finished off the set with a 25-16 win.

On the brink of a three-set sweep, Peru State had their backs to the wall and needed to respond. The tone was set early as Peru State jumped out to an early lead. This time, the Lady Cats struggled to provide an answer. Peru State continued to apply pressure and after a 6-1 run, Coach Muckenthaler took a timeout to slow the momentum. A 4-1 Lady Cat run was the result, but Peru State closed the door to maintain their advantage. A Kill by Abby Chadwell cut the gap to 18-14 but the Lady Cats could get no closer and Peru State took set three, 25-19.

With their newfound momentum, Peru State pounced on the Lady Cats to open set four and it looked like a deciding set five may be in the Lady Cat’s future. Trailing 4-0, a Peru State error and a Brooklyn Crawford kill broke the ice and the Lady cats began to battle. Trailing by three, 8-5, the Lady Cats turned the corner. A Beiley Chamberlain service ace started the charge and kills by Crawford and Hancock were combined with a pair of Peru State errors and the Lady Cats held an 11-9 lead. After the Peru State point, The Lady Cats used kills by Duffel, Linehan, Crawford, and Hancock to add to their lead and Peru State was on the ropes. Leading 19-10, the Lady Cats continued to apply pressure and Peru State had no answer. With a Crawford kill and a Peru State error, the Lady Cats secured the set four win, 25-12, and the match 3-1.

Brooklyn Crawford led the offensive attack with 10 kills. Bri Linehan piled on nine, and Bailey Chamberlain tacked on eight. Kamryn Link posted 24 assists and added a pair of kills while Mica Chadwell anchored the defense with 17 digs. Jocee Pettyjohn added 13 digs to help the Lady Cat defense to the win.

After the win, Coach Muckenthaler stated, “After a long trip last night, and playing five sets, I am proud of our team for the way the bounced back and stepped on the court ready to play. This is a tough week and it’s good to win a couple in a row heading into our weekend tournament.”

The Lady Cats will host seven teams Friday and Saturday for the Lady Cat Fall Classic. C of O will play at 2:00 and 4:00 on Friday, and 12:00 and 4:00 on Saturday at Keeter Gymnasium.