The College of the Ozarks Lady Cat Volleyball team returned to the friendly confines of Keeter Gymnasium over the weekend and posted a 3-1 mark through the C of O Classic.

A recap of the matches from College of the Ozarks Sports Information:

C of O vs Dallas Christian College – Friday, September 2
The Lady Cats opened the weekend strong taking a three set sweep from the Crusaders of Dallas Christian College. Using 12 kills from Brooklyn Crawford and eight from Bri Linehan, Kiley Counts and Grace Hancock, the Lady Cats dominated the match from start to finish. Morgan Austin set the stage for the heavy hitters with 35 assists in the win. With Mica Chadwell leading the defensive effort with 17 digs, C of O took set one 25-13, set two, 25-11, and the closing set, 25-16. Grace Hancock also posted double digit digs with 10 while Leatha Keller, Morgan Austin, and Kiley Counts chipped in nine, eight, and seven respectively.

C of O vs Sterling College – Friday, September 2
Coming off the impressive opening match win, the Lady Cats were set to face the Warriors of Sterling College. With an opening match sweep of their own, the Warriors were prepared for an intense battle with the home team. With a strong feeling of confidence and momentum, the Lady Cats pounced on the visitors from Kansas and made a statement with a 25-15 win in set one. The Warriors bounced back in set two with a 25-16 win and it appeared we would see a fierce tug of war. Determined to defend their home court, the Lady Cats took control early in the next two sets and never looked back. Set three went to the Lady Cats 25-17 and they closed out the match with a 25-20 win in set four. Bri Linehan led the offensive attack with 10 kills. Brooklyn Crawford slammed down nine kills of her own and Kiley Counts found the hardwood with eight kills. Morgan Austin was solid at the net serving up 29 assists and Mica Chadwell continued her outstanding play, protecting the back row, with 24 digs. Grace Hancock added 11 digs and Kiley Counts chipped in eight. 

C of O vs Oklahoma Wesleyan University – Saturday, September 3
Back in action early Saturday morning, the Lady Cats faced a talented Eagles squad from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Both teams came into the match victorious in their first two contests of the weekend.  The opening set looked to set the stage for an intense battle that could very easily go five sets. The score Lady Cats took an early lead and held a narrow advantage through the midway point. The Eagles took their first lead, 15-14 and the set was back and forth from there. Taking it down the wire, the Lady Cats squeaked out the set one win, 28-26. The second set continued with an intense tug of war. The teams traded points until a Lady Cat injury adversely impacted Coach Muckenthaler’s young squad. The Eagles were able to take control and took set two, 25-22. The final two sets were controlled by OKWU (25-13, 25-18) and the Lady Cats fell 3-1. Morgan Austin set up 31 assists to contribute to 12 kills for Kiley Counts and another nine for Brooklyn Crawford. The Lady Cat defense was busy and led by 33 Mica Chadwell digs. Three other Lady Cats recorded double figure digs with Morgan Austin chalking up 15, Grace Hancock, 11, and Leatha Keller, 10. 

C of O vs Central Baptist College – Saturday, September 3
After a tough morning loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan, the Lady Cats were looking to bounce back against Central Baptist College in the final match of the weekend. Wasting no time getting on the board, the Lady Cats jumped out to an early lead in set one and never looked back. Set one went to the Lady Cats 25-18. Set two was a more intense battle and CBC made a run at the Lady Cats to take the set down to the wire. Solid play at the net prevailed and C of O took set two 25-22. The Lady Cats took control early in set three and wrapped up the 3-0 sweep (25-14) to complete the tournament. Morgan Austin continued her solid setting with 32 assists while Brooklyn Crawford led the way with 11 kills. Mica Chadwell and Kiley Counts led the defensive effort with 22 and 13 digs respectively.

Coach Muckenthaler was pleased with her team’s performance after a tough weekend a week ago. She commented, “Coming off last weekend we had a great week of practice dialing in on our weaknesses – we improved in several areas and I thought competed very well this weekend. We are a very young team so it’s exciting to see the growth taking place now and I can’t wait to see where we are in another month. 

The Lady Cats will be back in action Friday, September 9 at 6 PM when they host Haskell Indian Nations University at Keeter Gymnasium.