St. Louis, MO – The College of the Ozarks Lady Cat Volleyball team made the trek to St. Louis over the weekend to compete in the University of Health, Science, and Pharmacy, Eutectics Classic. Coming home with 3-1 record in the weekend event, the Lady Cats improved to 10-5 on the season.

C of O vs Tabor College – Friday, September 15
Opening the weekend against the Tabor College Bluejays, the Lady Cats were looking to get things going early in the classic. Tabor had the same goal in mind and the opening set was a tug of war. The Lady Cats built an early lead with kills from Brooklyn Crawford and Bailey Chamberlain but were unable to pull away. The Bluejays battled back, and the score was soon tied 14-14. A cold stretch for the Lady Cats spelled trouble and the Bluejays took the opening set, 25-20.

The Lady Cats turned the tables in set two and used kills by Grace Hancock, Abby Chadwell, and Bri Linehan to build a lead. Everything went the way of the Lady Cats and Tabor was unable to find an answer. Point by point the Lady Cats pulled away and Kills by Linehan and Abby Chadwell were combined with back-to-back Chamberlain service aces to give the Lady Cats the set, 25-14.

After splitting the first two sets, the third set looked to be a battle. With the score tied 6-6, the Bluejays put together a 7-0 run and The Lady Cats needed to respond. Kills by Chamberlain and Crawford provided a spark, and the Lady Cats began to chip away at the lead. Point by point the Lady Cats clawed their way back into contention to trail 20-18, and the pressure was on the Bluejays. The teams traded points and the Lady Cats could not get over the hump. With the score sitting at 21-20, Tabor scored four unanswered points to take the set, 25-20.

After the tough set three loss, the Lady Cats needed to bounce back. Tabor, however, had no intention of letting it happen. Tabor jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and things were not looking good. The Lady Cats tried to battle but could not find a response. Slowly the Bluejays pulled away and the Lady Cats fell further behind.  Unable to recover, the Bluejays took set four, 25-15, and the match, 3-1.

Bri Linehan and Brooklyn Crawford recorded nine kills each while Bailey Chamberlain and Abby Chadwell notched eight apiece. Kamryn Link dished out 23 assists and Abby Chadwell contributed 12. Mica Chadwell anchored the defense with 24 digs.

C of O vs Cottey College – Friday, September 15
In the second match of the day, the Lady Cats took on the Comets of Cottey College and the opening set saw the teams trading points in the early going. The Lady Cats took advantage of kills by Linehan, Hancock, and Chamberlain to build a 10-6 lead and Cottey was feeling the pressure. The Comets found their answer, but they were unable to close the gap. The Lady Cats held off the challenges and climbed to a 25-18 win.

The second set saw the Lady Cats jump out to an early 3-0 lead with a pair of Grace Hancock kills and a Kamryn Link service ace. They continued to apply pressure to the Comets and slowly pulled away. Kills by Christa Duffel and Brooklyn Crawford boosted the Lady Cats to a 15-9 lead and Hancock, Linehan, and Chadwell continued to pile on. Another Chadwell kill was followed by a Cottey error and the Lady Cats took the set, 25-14.

The Lady Cat dominance continued in set three and the hit parade soon led to a 16-6 Lady Cat lead. Multiple Lady Cats slammed the ball down on the Comet side of the net and there was no slowing them down. Cottey had no answer and Linehan and Chadwell finished off the 25-12 win and secured the 3-0 sweep.

Bailey Chamberlain led the way with 11 kills and Grace Hancock and Abby Chadwell each added 10. Link and Abby Chadwell continued their strong play with 27 and 12 assists respectively. Mica Chadwell recorded 27 digs and Abby Chadwell completed her second triple double of the season with 13 digs.

C of O vs Friends University – Saturday, September 16
The first opponent of day two of the classic, was the Falcons of Friends University.

The opening set went back and forth but the Lady Cats maintained a slim advantage. The trend continued for C of O with kills delivered by multiple Lady Cats. The Falcons continued to battle but the Lady Cat attack was too much. Point by point, the Lady Cats held off the challenging Falcons and a pair of Crawford kills secured the set one win, 25-20.

The second set was all Lady Cats as Chadwell and Chamberlain led the opening charge. Christa Duffel and Grace Hancock joined in with kills and the Lady Cats were cruising. Bri Linehan provided the next boost and a pair of Falcon errors closed out the set and the 25-16 Lady Cat win.

The Lady Cats continued to roll in the third set and the Falcons had no answer. Another balanced attack propelled the offense and the Falcons found themselves in an early hole. The Lady Cats continued to apply pressure and the lead continued to grow. Kills by Linehan and Crawford were followed by a pair of Falcon errors and the Lady Cats sealed the 25-14 win and the 3-0 sweep.

Bri Linehan led the offense with 11 kills, Abby Chadwell and Bailey Chamberlain added nine, and Brooklyn Crawford slammed down eight. Kamryn Link contributed 26 assists and Mica Chadwell pulled out 16 digs in the win.

C of O vs University of Health, Science, and Pharmacy – Saturday, September 16
The Lady Cats were set to face the host Eutectics of UHSP in the final match of the classic.

Looking to ride the momentum of a pair of 3-0 wins, the Lady Cats jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. The Eutectics broke through and started to show some life, but the Lady Cats did not let up. Kills by Chadwell, Duffel, and Chamberlain fueled another 5-1 run and the Lady Cat lead grew to 12-5. UHSP could not find an answer and the Lady Cats sealed the 25-11 win with a Bailey Chamberlain kill.

The Eutectics bounced back in the second set and the battle was on. The teams traded points back and forth to a 16-16 tie and neither team could gain the upper hand. The Eutectics took a 20-19 lead, and the Lady Cats were at risk of falling in their first set since Friday evening. Abby Chadwell, Grace Hancock, and Brooklyn Crawford combined with a Bailey Chamberlain service ace and the Lady Cats squelched the hopes of the Eutectics to tie the match. The 24-21 win gave the Lady Cats a 2-0 lead and an opportunity for yet another 3-0 sweep.

The third set cleared any doubt about the Lady Cat dominance. After a 1-1 tie, the Lady Cats unleashed the fury. Kills and Eutectic errors came one after the other and when the dust began to settle, the Lady Cat lead stood at 15-5. Refusing to slow the attack, the Lady Cats continued to pull away and Kills by Sophie Morris and Brooklyn Crawford delivered a 24-9 lead. Madelyn Sestak pounded home the final kill and the Lady Cats took set three, 25-9 and the match, 3-0.

In a balanced attack, Abby Chadwell recorded nine kills, Bailey Chamberlain knocked down seven, Bri Linehan and Christa Duffel chipped in six, and Grace Hancock added five. Kamryn Link dished out 16 assists and Abby Chadwell tacked on 11. Mica Chadwell secured the back row with 22 digs and Abby Chadwell added 14.

Bri Linehan and Bailey Chamberlain were All-Tournament Team selections for their performance over the weekend.

The Lady Cats are back in action Wednesday at Babtist Bible College in Springfield.