CofO vs Evangel – Friday, August 30
After months of preparation and anticipation, the College of the Ozarks Lady Cat volleyball team stepped on the court to open the 2024-25 season Friday at Keeter Gymnasium. Facing the Valor of Evangel University, the Lady Cats returned a wealth of experience from last season, and they were looking to get things off to a great start.

The Lady Cats jumped out to an early lead and held off the visitors until a 5-5 score was showing on the board. The teams traded points, but Evangel slowly edged in front. Kills by Brooklyn Crawford, Grace Hancock, and Bri Linehan kept the set close, and the score climbed to 11-10, Evangel. Things began to get shaky, and the Valor took advantage, scoring the next four points. Evangel continued to apply pressure and C of O was struggling to string points together. Trailing, 17-12, the Lady Cats needed an answer. A pair of Valor errors were followed by kills by Kamryn Link and Abby Chadwell and the deficit was soon cut to 17-16. Evangel responded but Brooklyn Crawford and Emma McIntire slammed home a pair of kills to tie it at 18-18. The teams traded points and it looked like set one would go down to the wire. With the score knotted at 21 off a Linehan kill, the stage was set for a tight finish. Evangel answered the challenge however and posted the next four points to take the set 25-21.

Set two looked to be more intense from the opening serve. Trading points became the norm with kills by Bri Linehan, Bailey Chamberlain, and Kamryn Link keeping the Lady Cats even with the visitors from the north. Tied at 11, Anna Howe put together a string of solid serves, including three aces, to give the Cats an 18-11 advantage. With the momentum on the side of the Lady Cats, the Valor needed to respond. Slowly, they began to chip away at the lead and things intensified when the score climbed to a 23-23 tie. Kills by Brooklyn Crawford and Emma Godwin kept the Lady Cats in the hunt, but the Valor had battled back to make it a tight contest. The teams traded the next two points before Evangel sealed the 26-24 win with a kill and an ace.

The Lady Cats were now faced with a possible sweep, and they needed to step up to the challenge. Like the first two sets, the third set started with the teams trading points. Kills by Bailey Chamberlain, Brooklyn Crawford, and Grace Hancock carried the Lady Cats to a 5-5 tie before Evangel took the upper hand. Sophie Morris drove home a kill, but the Valor began to pull away. The Lady Cats struggled to keep pace and Evangel slowly built a 16-10 advantage. Point by point the pressure mounted, and the Lady Cats needed to bounce back. An Abby Chadwell kill was followed by a pair of Valor errors, and the Lady Cats trimmed the gap to 19-16. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late and Evangel closed out the set to take the 25-17 win and the 3-0 match victory.

Brooklyn Crawford slammed home eight kills in the effort, while Kamryn Link contributed 10 assists, and Mica Chadwell pulled out 24 digs.

CofO vs Avila University – Friday, August 30
Following a tough opening loss to the Valor, the Lady Cats were looking to bounce back against the Eagles of Avila University. With a good crowd on hand and the student body out in force, there was a definite home court feel for the Lady Cats.

After an opening point by the Eagles, the Lady Cats put up four straight points to take the early lead. A Bri Linehan kill fired up the crowd and the Lady Cats were building momentum. Avila soon chipped away at the lead and worked their way to a tie at 7-7. The teams began to trade points with the Lady Cats holding a slight upper hand. A Bailey Chamberlain kill was followed by an Eagle error and a Linehan kill to give the Cats a 12-11 advantage. With a quick swing in momentum the C of O put together a 4-0 run to build a lead. Point by point the Cats continued to apply pressure. Avila refused to buckle however, and promptly responded with a run of their own. Tied at 16, a Brooklyn Crawford kill kept the lead with the Lady Cats. Another Crawford kill immediately followed and the Eagles needed a timeout. Eagle errors and an Emma McIntire kill out of the huddle built a 21-17 lead and the Lady Cats were inching closer to a set one win. Avila was not ready to concede, and the lead was soon cut to 22-21. An Eagle service error forced another timeout, and the Lady Cats were two points away. Bailey Chaberlain found the floor on the Eagle side of the net with a pair of kills out of the huddle and gave the Lady Cats the 25-22 win.

Set two had a similar start to set one with Avila scoring first and Bri Linehan providing the answer for the Lady Cats. Kamryn Link joined the hit parade, and the Lady Cats built a 4-2 lead. Brooklyn Crawford and Linehan added another pair of points and freshman Maddie Michel forced an Eagle timeout with an Ace. Leading 7-3, Grace Hancock and Emma McIntire pounded home a trio of points and the lead grew to 10-3. Avila broke the string, but the Lady Cats quickly took back the serve. Crawford and Abby Chadwell teamed up for the next trio of kills and a Bailey Chamberlain block grew the advantage to 15-5. Emma McIntire added a block of her own before the Eagles could break the string. The momentum continued to roll, and the Lady Cats kept their foot on the gas. Trailing 19-6, Avila took another timeout to regroup. Avila scored a pair out of the huddle and the timeout had been successful. The momentum had shifted slightly until a Grace Hancock kill fired up the crowd again. Avila continued to battle, and the Lady Cats were struggling to put them away. A pair of Eagle errors brought up set point, but Avila was not giving in. A 3-0 run forced a Lady Cat timeout with set point still hanging in the balance. An Emma McIntire block out of the huddle sealed the 25-17 win and moved the Lady Cats within one win of the sweep.

With their backs to the wall, the Eagles would not go down without a fight in an elimination set. They came out swinging and put up the first two points. The Lady Cats responded quickly and evened the score, but it was yet to be seen who would grab the momentum. The teams traded points, with the Eagles holding a slight advantage until Grace Hancock drove home a pair of kills and Kamryn Link logged an ace. The Eagles responded and the score was quickly 7-5. After an Eagle point, Brooklyn Craford slammed down a kill and Christa Duffel followed suit. The momentum began to shift, and the Eagles needed a timeout. The Lady Cats continued to apply pressure out of the huddle and a 4-1 run was capped with a Bailey Chamberlain kill. Avila scored to end the trend, but Chamberlain immediately answered again. An Eagle error and a Mica Chadwell ace built a 17-10 lead, and the Lady Cats were in control. The teams traded points, but the Eagles needed a run. Slowly, they appeared to get what they needed. Chipping away at the gap, the lead dwindled to 22-16. A Bailey Chamberlain kill brought up set point, but Avila wouldn’t break. Another pair of points for the visitors forced a timeout for the Lady Cats, clinging to a 24-22 lead. A Bri Linehan block out of the huddle sealed the win and the Lady Cats held on for the 3-0 sweep.

Bri Linehan led the offense with 12 kills, Bailey Chamberlain added 10, and Brooklyn Crawford chipped in nine. Kamryn Link and Abby Chadwell dished out 14 assists each, and Mica Chadwell anchored the defense with nine digs.

The Lady Cats return to action at 12:00, 4:00, and 6:00 Saturday.