Pioneers Fall in Home Opener

The Basics
Score: MNU 0 - Ottawa 3
Record: MNU (0-1), OU (1-0)
Location: Bell Family Arena | Olathe, Kan.

OLATHE, Kan. - #11 MNU dropped their home opener to #22 Ottawa on Tuesday. The scores were 18-25, 17-25, and 17-25. The Pioneers started hot and led 5-1 to force a quick Ottawa timeout. The Braves exited the timeout and dominated the rest of the match. Set 1 was tied at 18 before Ottawa finished with a 7-0 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Braves controlled the next 2 sets to complete the sweep.

"Ottawa out-played us tonight," said head coach Molly Karagyaurov. "They were sharp on their first contact and put the ball away at a high efficiency. We will go back to the practice gym tomorrow to continue to learn and grow. We have three more matches this week so there is no time to dwell on a tough home loss."

Turning Point
Ottawa's big run in the 1st set turned the match around.

Individual Leaders
Teresa Saunders hit .500 with 7 kills. Cassidy Crist and Lucie Maceckova had 7 kills apiece. Ashlyn Halford had 14 digs. And Katrina Davis had 22 assists and 9 digs.

Up Next
The next match is Friday vs. #5 Northwestern at 5:00.