Avon Park, FL – The Webber International Women's Volleyball team honored 10 seniors Saturday afternoon when they hosted the Ave Maria Gyrenes. The Warriors took care of business against the Gyrenes defeating their opponents 3-1.
The Warriors got out ahead against the Gyrenes early in the first set. Bailey Sikkema picked up multiple kills, while Jaizah Anderson and Tanasha Cooksey picked up two combo blocks to give the Warriors a five-point lead, 10-5. The Gyrenes went on a 12-2 run to take the lead over the Warriors, with Sikkema and Cooksey grabbing kills along the way, 17-12. The Warriors responded with a six-point run of their own, with Sikkema and Teodora Ranitovic both picking up two kills to give Webber a slim 18-17 lead. The Gyrenes scored five of the next seven points to take a 22-20 lead, with Ranitovic securing two kills for the Warriors. A Cintia Lorena kill and a Gyrene error retied the game at 22, but that would be the last points the Warriors scored in the first set as they dropped it 25-22.
The Warriors dominated the Gyrenes in the second set. Sikkema and Nadia Reid had a kill apiece before a Kirsten Tisdale service ace and an attacking error from Ave Maria gave the Warriors a 4-0 lead. Sikkema picked up two more kills as well as securing a combo block with Ranitovic, while Reid picked up a solo block to put the Warriors ahead 8-2. The Warriors proceeded to go on a 17-3 run, as Reid, Sikkema, Anderson, and Paysee Crow all secured kills. Crow also served up a service ace, while Anderson and Sikkema picked up solo blocks as well. The Warriors took down the Gyrenes 25-5 in the second set.
Webber came out strong in the third set, as Anderson, Sikkema, and Reid picked up kills to go along with a block from Reid to help the Warriors to a 6-2 lead. Ranitovic picked up another kill while also getting a block with Crow to keep the Warrior lead at four, 8-4. This is where the Warriors began to pull ahead, after the Gyrenes brought the set with two, Webber scored eight of the next nine points. Reid, Ranitovic, Anderson, Cooksey and Crow pall picked up kills, while Ranitovic and Anderson also secured blocks to give the Warriors a 16-7 lead. The Gyrenes picked up two more before Cooksey, Sikkema, and Crow along with three errors from Ave Maria gave the Warriors a 22-9 lead. The next six points were back and forth as a service error for the Gyrenes, a kill from Sikkema, and a block from Ranitovic gave the Warriors the third set 25-12.
The fourth set was a close back-and-forth affair. Sikkema, Anderson, and Reid all picked up early kills for the Warriors. The Gyrenes responded accordingly before Reid, Sikkema, Ranitovic and Anderson all picked up a kill again. A kill from Sikkema as well as a block from Reid and Ranitovic gave the Warriors a one-point lead, before Crow, Anderson, and Sikkema picked up kills for the Warriors to hold then Gyrenes off in the fourth set 26-24.
Sikkema led the Warriors with 18 kills, while Anderson was able to grab eight of her own. Ranitovic led with seven total blocks, and Reid was second with four. Crow led with 35 assists while Bailey Berger led with 13 digs.
The Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday, November 1st when they host the College of Coastal Georgia Mariners.
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