Grinnell’s Third-Set Rally Falls Short Against Unbeaten Buena Vista
STORM LAKE — Grinnell College found more offense in the third set, but Buena Vista answered with a decisive scoring run to complete a three-set volleyball sweep Sept. 15 at Siebens Fieldhouse.
Buena Vista won 25-13, 25-8, 25-20 to improve to 7-0. Grinnell fell to 3-5.
The hosts finished with 48 kills and a .345 hitting percentage, while Grinnell recorded 20 kills and hit .058. Buena Vista also held advantages of 7-2 in service aces and 6-0 in blocks.
Grinnell’s best opportunity came in the third set. Trailing 9-6, the Pioneers scored six consecutive points to move ahead 12-9. Keira Sullivan supplied two kills during that stretch, helping Grinnell regain the lead.
Buena Vista responded with eight straight points to take a 17-12 advantage.
The Pioneers continued to press, cutting the deficit to 20-19 after a Sullivan kill, a Buena Vista attack error and a kill by Leticia Machado.
Sydney Meints then delivered three consecutive kills for Buena Vista, creating enough separation for the hosts to finish the match. Nora Konz supplied a kill and a service ace for the final two points.
Sullivan recorded seven of her team-high eight kills in the third set. She finished the match with a .231 hitting percentage, eight digs and an ace.
Machado added six kills, while Millie Leonard contributed three kills and a team-high 10 digs. Charlotte Sigler finished with two kills, and Mia Meert had one.
Kylie-Ann Smith led Grinnell with 13 assists and added seven digs. Paige Lundgren contributed three assists. Emilee Appel finished with seven digs, two assists and an ace.
Buena Vista established control early in the opening set. After Grinnell took a 3-2 lead, the hosts scored five consecutive points and later extended their advantage to 11-4.
Buena Vista recorded 19 kills against only one hitting error in the first set, finishing with a .486 hitting percentage. Konz supplied seven kills in the opener, and Meints added six.
The second set turned quickly after Leonard gave Grinnell the opening point. Buena Vista scored the next 11 points, with Charley Hernandez serving during much of the run. Hernandez recorded back-to-back aces as the hosts built their lead.
Grinnell was limited to five kills in the second set before producing 12 in the third.
Konz led all players with 18 kills and hit .432 for Buena Vista. She also recorded nine digs, two aces and a solo block.
Meints finished with 10 kills and no hitting errors on 14 attacks for a .714 hitting percentage. She added two solo blocks.
Hernandez contributed nine kills, 13 digs and two aces. Merced Ramirez led Buena Vista with 16 assists, followed by Anabel Seaman with 14. Kaylee Wray collected a team-high 14 digs and added nine assists.
