Bears Volleyball Gaining Momentum
Last Friday, the Barclay College women’s volleyball team was searching for some answers. With a host of new girls this season, they had flirted with being a great team. The gap between the top teams and the Bears seemed razor thin, but they couldn’t quite get over the hump. They had just one Midwest Christian College Conference win to their name as they hosted Calvary University (Belton, Mo.) on Friday night, along with NCCAA Southwest Region powerhouse, Randall University (Moore, Okla.), and then Ozark Christian College (Joplin, Mo.) on Saturday afternoon.
There was never really a doubt as the Bears took the floor against Calvary. The Warriors had sneaked out a five-set victory against the Bears a month earlier and the Lady Bears had not forgotten. From the get-go, the Bears dominated the match and eased their way to a straight-set victory 25-20, 25-13, and 25-18.
Immediately following the Calvary match, the Bears took a little momentum into their match against NCCAA #4 ranked Randall, which featured a potential player-of-the-year candidate in Kristen Macy (Edmond, Okla.). The Saints, however, seemed unphased and took the first set 25-13. In the second set, the Bears showed some fight and grit. They went swing-for-swing with the Saints before dropping the set 21-25. The Saints then finished off the match by taking the third set 25-18.
Saturday afternoon, the Bears took to the court one last time before fall break. Ozark was also victorious against the Bears back in early Sept. Down in Joplin, the Ambassadors pulled out a four-set win. Once again, though, the Bears were up for the task. They handily took the first set 25-18, which set the stage for a thrilling second set. The set was back-and-forth before the Bears prevailed 27-25. Dropping the second set seemed to have taken the wind out of the sails of the visiting Ambassadors, and the Bears marched their way to a three-set victory.
The win improved the Bears to 3-6 in MCCC play and 5-10 overall. Next up for the Bears is the MCCC tournament which will be played in Manhattan, Kans. this year. More than likely the Bears will be the #6 seed in the tournament beginning Oct. 21.