Avon Park, FL – The Webber International Women's Volleyball team hosted the St. Thomas Bobcats Saturday afternoon in the Panther Gym. The Warriors held strong but were ultimately unable to contain the Bobcats losing the match 3-1.
The Warriors and Bobcats started off the first set in a close battle. Kills from Tanasha Cooksey and Jaizah Anderson as well as a block from Anderson and Savanna Wilhite put the Warriors on the board to tie the game at 3-3 early. Two attacking errors from St. Thomas put the Warriors ahead by one at 5-4. The Bobcats proceeded to score the next six points to take a five-point lead 10-5. Following a timeout, Nadia Reid tallied a block and a kill to keep the Warrior deficit at only five, 12-7. St. Thomas controlled the rest of the set, out-scoring the Warriors 13-8. Cintia Lorena, Bailey Sikkema, Paysee Crow, and Wilhite all picked up kills, but it was not enough as St. Thomas took set 1 25-15.
Webber jumped out to an early lead in set 2, as kills from Sikkema and Reid in addition to two errors from St. Thomas gave the Warriors a 4-1 lead. After the Bobcats tied the game at 4, the Warriors went on a four-point run featuring kills from Cooksey, Reid, and Bailey Berger, as well as a block from Reid and Cooksey to put Webber ahead 8-4. St. Thomas took a strong lead scoring 10 of the next 13, pulling ahead by three points, 14-11. The Warriors responded with a run of their own shortly after as Wilhite, Sikkema, and Lily Arnold all picked up blocks en route to the Warriors taking a three-point lead 19-16. After the Bobcats took a timeout, Sikkema added two more kills to extend the lead to 21-16. The Bobcats did not go down easy, but kills from Sikkema and Cooksey as well as a combo block from the pair gave the Warriors set 2, 25-20.
The Bobcats took an early lead in set 3, with the Warriors facing a two-point deficit of 5-3, following a block from Anderson and Wilhite, as well as another kill from Reid. Cooksey and Arnold brought the Warriors within one 6-5, but this would end up being the closest the Warriors got for the rest of the set. St. Thomas scored seven of the next nine points with kills from Arnold and Anderson the only points the Warriors could get on the board before taking a timeout down 13-7. Following the timeout, a kill from Sikkema and three errors from the Bobcats put the Warriors with four 15-11, before St. Thomas scored nine straight points. A block by Cooksey and Lorena were the last points for the Warriors in set 3 as St. Thomas took the set 25-12.
Set 4 was a highly contested affair as early on, neither team was able to take a substantial lead through the first 12 points as the score sat tied, 6-6. Teodora Ranitovic, Sikkema, and Reid all picked up kills. A kill by Cooksey retied the game at 7-7 before St. Thomas scored five of the next seven points with a kill from Anderson interrupting a run, and a kill from Ranitovic ending the other one cutting the deficit to three, 12-9. Two kills from Reid put the Warriors within two, following a kill from St. Thomas. Webber scored four of the next six points, capitalizing on three St. Thomas errors and a kill from Reid to tie the set at 15. The Bobcats quickly regained their lead, going on a 5-1 run to take the lead 20-16. Kills from Anderson and Raitovic brought the Warriors within one twice, once at 20-19, and again at 21-20. The Warriors would get two more points in set 4 with a kill from Reid being the last points for the Warriors as they dropped set 4 25-22 and the match 3-1.
Reid led the team with 10 kills with Sikkema dropping in seven. Ana Clara Aruajo finished the match with 15 assists while Crow added 13 of her own. Crow led the team with 11 digs, and Wilhite led with four blocks.
The Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday, October 18th when they travel to Lakeland to take on the Southeastern Fire in the Furnace.
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