Volleyball wins seventh straight

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Story by Hayley Morrical, Writer

The winning streak for Baker volleyball continues after Tuesday evening’s match against Central Methodist University in Collins Center.

The ‘Cats have racked up seven straight wins and sit at a 2-0 record in Heart of America Athletic Conference play, 11-4 overall.

The Wildcats fought for control after rough beginnings and various lead changes throughout the first and second sets. In each set, the team gained momentum in the double digits and kept its defense strong to finish off the Eagles in three sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18.

Head coach Kathy Allen attributes her team’s ability to play under pressure to the women’s frame of mind during breaks.

“We laugh in timeouts,” Allen said. “We try to keep up humor so we go out with a smile instead of being upset.”

The match featured a strong Wildcats defense as it held Central Methodist to an average hitting percentage of .08. Baker recorded 11 blocks on the night, moving the season block total to 169.

Senior libero Sara Slater led the team in digs with 27. Sophomore Hannah Bettge picked up 14 while junior defensive specialist Kaysha Green got 11 for BU.

The ‘Cats also had a strong game from the serving line. CMU couldn’t handle the top-spin jump-serve coming from Bettge, who put down five aces. Senior Taryn Brees fired off three aces while Slater collected one.

According to Allen, the serving success helped the team to take control of the match.

Offensively, the Baker women achieved 38 total kills. Junior middle hitter Danielle French was the kill leader with 10, followed by junior outside hitter Shannon Bond, who had eight.

Allen hopes to continue the winning streak this weekend in Olathe at the MidAmerica Nazarene Tournament throughout four nonconference games against College of the Ozarks, Oklahoma City University, Texas Wesleyan University and Park University.

“We practice hard and prepare to take care of our side of the court,” Allen said. “We will continue to work on our block steps. Every game we are improving.”