It wasn't the outcome Ryan Webb wanted but he was not displeased with the way his Kansas Wesleyan men's volleyball team played in the program's inaugural match.
Graceland won 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-23) Friday night inside Mabee Arena. The young Coyotes were shorthanded with only nine in uniform but were competitive and showed their tenacity.
"I'd have to say we came out and we executed," Webb said. "It was a great first outing for us. Once we got the jitters out, I thought we executed our practice plan and our game plan.
"Had some errors here and there that we should have avoided and I think once we clean those up, we can only go up from here."
Graceland, which plays in the Heart of America Conference and playing its season opener as well, had its hands full in the first and third sets. The Yellowjackets' sizable roster includes 13 athletes from Hawaii.
"Especially with not having our full roster, to go out there and still play to our level was really good to see tonight," Webb said.
Going into the first match Webb was eager to see how far his team has come and what needs to be addressed going forward.
"I think this will be a good thing for to focus on more in practice on Monday so we really get to knock those things out to prepare for Tuesday's match (against Ottawa in Mabee Arena)," he said.
KWU led 21-17 in the opening set but Graceland answered with a 5-0 run for a 22-21 advantage. The Coyotes tied it at 22 and got within 24-23 before Graceland closed it out.
The Yellowjackets built an 18-8 lead in the second set and coasted to the victory.
The third set was a battle. Graceland led 18-12 but a 5-0 KWU surge made it 18-17. The Yellowjackets scored three in a row for a 22-18 lead by the Coyotes answered with three points of their own and trailed 22-21.
Graceland scored twice for a 24-21 lead but KWU wouldn't go quietly, scoring two points to get within 24-23 once again before the Yellowjackets tallied match point.
KWU had a .139 hitting percentage for the match and was led by Victor Loya (SO/El Paso, Texas)'s 10 kills while Christopher Perez (FR/Denver, Colo.) had seven. Colton Sessions (FR/West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 16 assists and Loya led the defense with six digs.
Graceland hit at a .341 percentage and was paced by Jeremiah Taamu-Perifanos 13 kills and Brandon Kampshoff with 12.
Webb was looking ahead to Ottawa shortly after the match.
"Freshman jitters should be out of the way now," he said.