Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Mobile, AL. – The Webber International Women's Volleyball team competed twice Friday afternoon, facing off against Columbia International University and Dillard University. The Warriors dropped their first game 3-1 to Columbia International before winning a thrilling five-set match vs. Dillard.
The Warriors opened Friday against Columbia International. The first set was tightly contested from the beginning. After trading the first four points of the set, Webber jumped out to a 4-2 lead following a kill from Bailey Sikkema and a Columbia International attacking error. Columbia International would respond soon after, rattling off four straight points and taking the lead 7-5. Kills by Cintia Lorena would bring the Warriors within one point multiple times before kills from the Rams widened the gap 7-10. Webber pulled within one point again following a kill by Teodora Ranitovic, before Columbia International scored five straight points, extending their lead 15-9. The team did not quit, however, and after trading points, went on a seven-point run, with kills from Lorena, Sikkema, Savanna Wilhite, and Nadia Reid, with Bailey Berger adding a service ace for good measure. This run put the Warriors up 19-17 late in the first set. Columbia International responded with a three-point run of their own retaking the lead, 20-19. A kill by Lorena and an attacking error by the Rams would give Webber its last lead of set 1 at 21-20. Columbia International scored five of the next six points and took set 1 25-22.
Set 2 started off similarly to set 1, with both teams trading the first four points scored. Columbia International controlled most of set 2. A service error by the Rams put the Warriors within one point with the score being 3-4, before the Rams scored two points right back. This was a common theme at the beginning of the set. Following a kill by Sikkema, the score sat at 6-4 in favor of the Rams. After a ball handling error by the Rams, Columbia International again scored two more before a kill by Delanie Johnson closed the Warriors deficit to 9-6. That was the closest the Warriors would get in set 2. Despite kills from Ranitovic, Sikkema, Wilhite and Reid, service errors and attacking errors would plague the Warriors as the Rams carried a balanced attack and outscored the Warriors 16-10 and taking set 2 25-16.
The Warriors quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead, following a kill by Sikkema, a service ace from Ana Clara Araujo, and two Ram attacking errors, forcing Columbia International to take their first timeout. Webber responded in kind by scoring five of the next eight points and held a 9-3 lead when Columbia International called their final timeout of the set. Webber would score three more unanswered points before conceding another point. The 12-3 run to start the set was highlighted by kills from Sikkema and Reid as well as a service ace from Berger. The Rams would not go down quietly as they took advantage of Warrior errors and went on a 10-3 run bringing the Warriors' lead down to 2 at 15-13. The team responded in kind by extending their lead back to 4, capitalizing on multiple Ram errors. Following a kill by Lorena, the Rams committed another error which put the Warrior lead up to 21-16. The Warriors ended the set on a 4-3 run including scoring the final two points to win set 3 with a score of 25-19.
In set 4, the Warriors jumped out to a 6-3 lead, following kills from Sikkema, Ranitovic, and Johnson. The Rams went on a five-point run retaking the lead 8-6 for Head Coach Justin Dee called a timeout. This timeout helped the Warriors tie the set as they scored 2 straight. The Rams pulled ahead for another two-point lead before kills from Ranitovic and Paysee Crow re-tied the set at 10 apiece. The Rams scored three straight before Reid grabbed two points herself on back-to-back kills. Columbia International and Webber both scored two points each after that, before the Rams scored three more widening the gap to 4, 18-14. Coach Dee took his final timeout there with a kill by Lorena grabbing the first point out of the timeout. Webber was outscored 7-2 down the stretch and the Rams won set 4 25-17 and the match 3-1.
The Warriors came out swinging against Dillard, taking advantage of multiple attacking and service errors from the Blue Devils, en route to a 7-4 lead. More errors from the Blue Devils and another kill from Reid put the Warriors up 12-7 and forced Dillard to take a timeout. Webber proceeded to go on an 8-2 run, kickstarted by another kill from Reid, who also added a service ace. A service error put Dillard within 10, but the Warriors ended the set on a 5-2 run, taking set 1 handily, ending the set with a service ace from Crow, with the score of 25-12.
Set 2 was more of the same for the Warriors. Webber quickly jumped out to a 9-3 lead, thanks in part to kills from Ranitovic, Sikkema, and Jaizah Anderson, before a Dillard timeout to try and ice the Warriors. Webber would pull ahead of the Blue Devils 14-5. Dillard would not go quietly however as they proceeded to score six straight points to bring the score to 14-11 in favor of the Warriors. Webber scored 7 of the next 10 points to put the lead back at seven points, with two more kills from Anderson. Dillard would again make a comeback in the set, scoring 10 of 13 points to bring set 2 to a tie at 24. Ranitovic and Reid were able to get the Warriors into set point with kills, however, it was a combination between Sikkema and Wilhite and a bad set by the Blue Devils that pushed the Warriors over the hump. The Warriors won set 2 26-24.
Webber scored three straight to open the third set, with kills by Wilhite and Sikkema. Dillard would respond quickly going on a 9-3 run before Coach Dee called a timeout for the Warriors. A block by Ranitovic and Sikkema ended the run with the score at 10-7 Dillard. The Blue Devils scored five of the next seven to extend their lead to 15-9, before a four-point run by the Warriors highlighted by kills from Reid and Wilhite forced Dillard to take a timeout with the score at 15-13. Dillard was able to capitalize on unforced Webber errors and held a commanding 22-16 lead heading down the stretch. Webber did not quit and scored five straight, thanks in part to a great serving effort from Kiersten Tisdale, which brought the Warriors within one, at 22-21. Dillard would unfortunately score the last three points of set 3 and take it 25-21.
Set 4 started more or less the same for the Warriors, who quickly gained a four-point advantage after multiple errors from the Blue Devils. Staying on the script, Dillard responded again, scoring 9 out of the next 12 points, taking the lead at 9-7. Reid tied the game herself on back-to-back kills before Webber and Dillard would go back and forth with neither team getting ahead by more than 2, before being deadlocked at 14-14. Dillard went on a three-point run, forcing Coach Dee to take a timeout to try and affect the Blue Devils. Webber would then grab four of the next six points to cut the deficit to one, 19-18. Dillard would again take a three-point lead, but an error and a service ace from Araujo, brought the deficit to one once again, 21-20. Webber scored three of the next four to take the lead, thanks in part to Reid and Anderson, who put the Warriors ahead 23-22. The Blue Devils then took advantage of three Warrior errors and stole set 4 25-23.
In set 5 to 15 points, the Warriors struck first yet again. However, Dillard held a 3-2 lead after the first five points. Anderson and Sikkema would soon take over, becoming responsible for the next five points scored, all on kills, with the Warriors now leading 7-3. A Warrior error would put the Blue Devils within three, but that was the closest they would get for the rest of set 5. Kills by Sikkema, Anderson, Wilhite, and Reid would put the game out of reach for Dillard, and Webber took set 5 15-7 and won their first match of the season, and Coach Dee's first win in his Webber career, 3-2.
"Tonight was a battle with a great opponent. Dillard is a class program and blocked and attacked really well tonight. But the Warriors came to play! We dominated the first set. We were down two of our big outsides with Alexis and Cintia out. Jaizah Anderson stepped up and took over," Dee said. "The setters distributed the ball well tonight and got the ball to our attackers in opportunities to score points against the formidable block. Bailey Sikkema was on fire tonight doing everything and Nadia Reid was Miss Everything tonight too. Our focus was on serving more consistently and that was the difference tonight in our win. In the losses earlier this tournament we missed 31 serves. This evening we were much more consistent which allowed our defense to shine. Excited for the first win, but we have big dreams and expectations. Ready to get back at it in the morning. Go Warriors!"
Sikkema led the team in kills across both matches with 24, with Reid right behind her with 23. Ranitovic and Wilhite each added 7 blocks between both matches while Sikkema had 6. The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, August 26th against the Florida College Falcons at 10:00 A.M.
