Even though the Golden Eagles did not appear to be at their best on Saturday, they proved that they can play through anything and with anybody in sweeping a tri match at Butler County Community College (BC3).
In the opening match against Anne Arundel Community College, the Golden Eagles dominated the first two sets jumping out to a 2-0 set lead. KSU Tusc led 12-10 before a 5-0 spurt spotted them to a 16-11 lead in the first set and they outscored the Riverhawks 9-6 the rest of the way for a 25-17 set win. At one point they held a 23-14 lead on the strength of four kills and a service ace.
The second set was all navy gold as they raced to a 10-2 lead before Arundel called for a timeout. The Eagles recorded seven kills in the set---four by Makenzie Ailes and three from Alivia Spaulding---in an impressive 25-10 win for a 2-0 set lead.
It looked as if the Eagles were on autopilot in the third set, as AACC turned the tables and became the aggressors. At one point it was an Eagles 5-4 advantage, but they faltered as the Riverhawks grabbed the momentum and seized a 16-10 lead. KSU did fight back to go ahead 21-20 and were tied at 24-24, but a receiving error and a hitting error propelled Arundel to a 26-24 set win forcing the match to a fourth set.
The complexion of the match changed quickly in the final stanza as the Eagles took a commanding 12-5 lead forcing a timeout. A string of four kills and a service ace gave them a 10 point, 24-14 lead as they cruised to a 25-17 four-set victory with 11 service aces and 19 kills.
With a battle of heavy weights expected in the final match against the host Pioneers, everyone in The Field House was treated to a thrilling five-set match eventually won by the Golden Eagles 3-2 over the No. 13 ranked (11-3) NJCAA DIII team.
In the first stanza, the teams were deadlocked at 7-7 when the Pioneers nudged ahead 12-7 on five straight points. Their advantage grew to eight points on two occasions---20-12 & 22-14---as they opened up a 1-0 lead winning 25-20.
Not ready to go quietly, KSU Tusc reversed the polarity in the second set with the score 6-6. They opened up a 12-6 lead with Cayla Shrimplin at the service line and a huge kill by Ailes down the sideline. After a Pioneers point, Ailes helped her own cause while serving up three consecutive aces and a kill by Spaulding pushed the lead to 19-7. A 4-0 run put the Eagles up 24-10 and they went on to win the set 25-12.
Things looked rather cozy for the navy and gold as they killed their way to a 7-1 lead to start the third, thanks to some deadly serving by Kylie Culbertson and kills by Taliyah Johnson, Spaulding and Lizzy Keller. However, BC3 tied them at 10-10 and with the score 13-13, the hosts got the upper hand and forged a 19-16 lead.
The Golden Eagles surrendered any chance of a comeback by finishing the set with three hitting errors and a ball handling error as they fell 25-16 and behind 2-1 in the match.
Whatever was said in the KSU Tusc huddle between sets helped them avoid the possibility of extinction in the fourth set. The set was tied 4-4 but Ailes helped herself once again with two service aces and a kill during a 6-0 run that staked the Eagles to a 10-4 lead.
Three Eagles also contributed to big runs at the service line as Simons scored four straight points, Addison Gordon five and Keller finished the match tying set with six straight winners as the nearly improbable became possible with the Eagles building a 17-point lead winning 25-7.
Needless the say the Eagles were more than likely not relishing going to a fifth set where they have only won once in three tries this season. But fear not, they were dominant once again in a set that featured seven KSU kills in a 15-point set. They broke away from a 4-4 tie to go up 7-4 and when the score was knotted again at 8-8, the Golden Eagles scored six straight times with Keller holding serve for a 14-8 lead. The final exclamation point was another Ailes put down in a 15-10 fifth set win and a sweep of the day with a 3-2 match win.
With a record of 12-2 on the season, the Golden Eagles have tied their win total from the 2022 season as six matches remain to be played. The Eagles host Miami Hamilton for a dual match on Saturday, October 7 at 1p.m.
Addison Gordon digs one out on a serve receive.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)