The Basics
Score: MNU 3 - Evangel 2
Record: MNU (14-6, 7-2), EU (16-6, 4-4)
Location: Bell Family Arena - Olathe, Kan.
OLATHE, Kan. - MNU won a 5-set thriller over Evangel on Tuesday. The Crusaders controlled the first set and won 25-18, but the Pioneers turned it around to win the next 2 sets 25-18 and 25-16 to take a 2-1 lead. A 5-0 run in the 4th helped Evangel win 25-20 to force the 5th. The Crusaders started the 5th with 3 straight points, but MNU answered with 4 in a row to take the lead. With the score tied at 7, MNU went on a 3-0 run capped by a solo block from
Rachel Dossett. Another 3-point run capped by a
Kourtney Hansen ace put the Pioneers up 14-9, and a
Magan Alexander kill finished the match.
"That was fun. Wow!" said Coach Karagyaurov. "Evangel really challenged us. They dug the ball really well in Set 1 and kept us from point scoring and caught us on our heels. But I'm proud of my athletes for doing what was asked of them and making their adjustments with such quality. Lots of individuals played well tonight -
Jennifer Roth had a career-high kill night;
Kourtney Hansen had a career-high assists night. But ultimately this was a team win. Everyone played their role including our fans...and yes even the cow bell. On a personal note, I am just overwhelmed and overjoyed with the amount of support I see and receive everyday from the MNU community. As a first year head coach, I'm so humbled to be apart of something so much bigger than myself. We will enjoy this one for tonight then tomorrow get back to looking forward at our next conference match up at Benedictine next Tuesday. Over the weekend, we take a trip to the Ozarks and have two non-conference games which will be fun and an opportunity to learn and grow! But our focus remains on the Heart."
Individual Leaders
Jennifer Roth had 18 kills and 16 digs.
Jacqueline Calvert had 13 kills and 4 blocks.
Rachel Dossett had 12 kills and 5 blocks.
Magan Alexander added 12 kills and 3 blocks.
Kayla Dailey (19) and
McKenna Webster (14) had double digit digs. And
Kourtney Hansen had 52 assists and 18 digs.
Inside the Box Score
MNU had 66 kills to Evangel's 54.
Up Next
The next match is a tri-match on Saturday at College of the Ozarks vs. Lincoln (14-6) and CofO (13-8) starting at 1:00.
