Kansas Wesleyan Women's Volleyball got back to .500 on the season as the Coyotes picked up a second straight sweep, taking out the Ottawa Braves 25-21, 25-23, 25-18 on Friday night inside Mabee Arena.
The victory got the Coyotes back to .500 at 10-10 overall and improved to 4-2 in the KCAC. Ottawa fell to 5-11 overall and 2-4 in the KCAC.
The first set started out all Coyotes as KWU raced out to an 8-0 lead to start the match. Gianna Adriaanse had three kills during the run leading the way. The Coyotes held the Braves at arm's length for a majority of the set, but the Braves got within three at 19-16. The Coyotes pushed the lead back out to 24-17 and set point after a block by Kylee Harris and Avery Conner, but Ottawa got two points before a block from Joey Pennington and Conner gave the Coyotes the set.
The second set was wild as there were 16 ties and six lead changes in the session. Ottawa had a 5-3 lead but the Coyotes came back behind a Harris kill and an error by Ottawa to tie it. The Coyotes grabbed a 7-6 lead on a kill by Harris and after Ottawa tied it, a block by Kate Bebout and Harris gave the lead to the Coyotes.
Wesleyan trailed 9-8 in the set when things got going behind a kill by Kate Bebout to tie it and start a 5-0 run that gave KWU a 13-9 lead on a kill by Rylee Serpan. Ottawa bounced back to tie it at 14 and the Braves took a brief lead that 19-18 before a Kate Bebout kill tied it up again. Wesleyan had set point at 24-22 but Ottawa got a point before Conner's kill gave the set to the Coyotes.
The third set was tight to start as the teams traded the lead back and forth. The Coyotes broke an 8-8 tie with a 5-0 run to take a 13-8 lead that later increased to 19-12 on a block by Kate Bebout and Joey Pennington. Ottawa came back getting within four at 22-18, but a kill by Harris got things back in favor of the Coyotes and KWU completed the sweep behind a pair of hitting errors by Ottawa.
Serpan led the Coyotes with 13 kills while Kate Bebout had nine, Adriaanse had eight and Harris had seven. Sara Bebout had 21 assists and Blair Pennington had 12. Libero Tristyn Hedman had a career high 29 digs to lead the Coyote defense and keep the Coyotes alive on several long rallies. Conner had six blocks and Joey Pennington had four.