Knights fall to Cougars and Lady Plainsmen to close Southern Colorado Classic

Trinidad, Colo. – Knights fall to Western Nebraska (25-21, 25-19, 25-19) and Frank Phillips (26-24, 25-18, 25-22, 25-18, 15-12) to close out the Southern Colorado Classic on Saturday.

“We hung tough against Western Nebraska, but just could not keep up with them defensively,” said head coach Alexa McCall. “We just need to be more consistent in order to finish those types of games.”

Western Nebraska 3 North Platte 0

Zoe Maher and Jaelyn Dicke led the way with six kills apiece, while Aubrey Grant posted 25 assists against the Cougars.

The Cougars used a 4-1 run to take a three-point advantage early in the first set. The black and gold slowly chipped away at the deficit until a kill from Nya Lual knotted the game up at 12-12. Western Nebraska settled into a rhythm offensively as a short rally gave the Cougars a four-point edge. Knights narrowed the margin to three late in the set, but Western Nebraska secured the 25-21 opening set win.

Cougars took an early 5-1 lead in the second set, but back-to-back service aces from Dicke cut the margin to 10-8. Western Nebraska countered with a five-point run to build upon their lead which aided in a 25-19 set two win.

Western Nebraska surged ahead to open the third set. Trailing 12-7, the Knights tightened their defense as the block helped knot the game up at 15-15. Teams continued to trade points over the course of the final set, but a late rally secured the 25-19 match win for Western Nebraska.

Frank Phillips 3 North Platte 2

North Platte tallied 46 kills while hitting .252 against Frank Phillips. Dicke led the way offensively with 17 kills, while EmiLee Walnofer added 20 digs.

North Platte jumped out to a 9-6 lead after a monstrous block by Kathryn Folkers and Ella Rotherham. Frank Phillips answered to knot the game up at 14-14, before eventually building a three-point advantage late in the set. Knights fought off three set points and charged back to steal the set on a kill by Dicke.

Neither team led by as many as three points to open the second set until the Lady Plainsmen put together a 5-0 run to take a 15-10 lead. The Frank Phillips lead would hold steady throughout the remainder of the set, as they evened the match at one set apiece.

A tightly contested third set was broken up by a 3-1 rally by North Platte. The rally was highlighted by a kill from Grant which helped the Knights take a 16-13 lead. Frank Phillips narrowed the margin down to one twice in the closing stages, but North Platte never surrendered to clinch the 25-22 set win.

Attempting to close out the match in the fourth set, the Knights jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Frank Phillips responded with a 5-1 rally to take the lead, but the lead would continue to change hands throughout the set. Tied up at 16-16, four straight points aided the Lady Plainsmen in taking the lead for the final time as they closed out the set.

Teams continued to trade points in the early moments of the fifth set until a block from Lual and Fatima Gomez ignited a two-point rally. Trailing 9-7, Frank Phillips responded with five straight points to swing the momentum in their favor. Knights climbed to within two late, but the Lady Plainsmen tallied the final point to earn the 15-12 set win.

Knights (3-10) return to the road on Thursday to take on the Broncos of Hastings College. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Lynn Farrell Arena.