Story by NPCC Athletic Communications
Lamar, Colo. – North Platte Community College volleyball team beat Lamar in four sets, 25-13, 20-25, 25-22, 27-25 on Tuesday night.
Setter Kiley Kearney orchestrated the offense with 45 assists and added five aces from the service line, while Zoe Maher contributed four aces.
"I thought our ball control was a little sloppy tonight, and we weren’t in system as much as I think we should be," said head coach Alexa McCall. "When we are in system we are hard to defend."
North Platte had a strong start in the opening set, jumping to a 7-2 lead. A successful challenge overturned a call on a Khloee Wright kill, originally ruled out, helping the Knights reach 20 points with a commanding 20-9 lead. They closed out with a kill from Wright and an ace by Maher, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
Set two started evenly, tied at 4-4, before Lamar edged ahead with a tip. The tightly contested set saw neither team pull away by more than three points until the Runnin’ Lopes got a four point run to go up 16-12. North Platte responded with a 3-0 run sparked by a Nya Lual kill, trimming the deficit to one. However, Lamar held their ground and closed out the set to even the match at 1-1.
Lamar came out firing in the third set, racing to a 6-0 lead, a kill from Makenzie Piper halted the run. A tip by Makenna Stephenson ignited a massive 11-0 surge for North Platte. That run, capped by a block, flipped the momentum and gave the Knights a four-point lead that they would carry to a third-set win, 2-1.
The fourth set was tightly contested from the start, with six ties early on. A kill by Ella Rotherham gave North Platte an 11-10 lead. Lamar continued to battle back, tying the score again at 17, with the last tie at 25. A kill by Becca Olearnick and a Lamar attacking error sealed the set and the match victory for the Knights.
“I am glad we came out with a win, we have worked really hard to stay focused on one game at a time,” said coach McCall.
North Platte (13-14, 7-5 in Region IX South) continues Region IX play on Saturday against rival McCook. First serve against the Indians is set for 2 p.m. in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center.