Lady Warrior come out of Thunder Invitational 3-1

Sterling College Lady Warrior volleyball competed well at the Thunder Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 29-30. The Lady Warriors came out of the weekend with three decisive 3-0 wins over Central Christian College, Cottey College and Dallas Christian College. Sterling's one loss of the week was a 3-1 loss to the host school Manhattan Christian College.

Central Christian - W3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-19)

Sterling College swept Central Christian College in a 3-0 victory on Friday at Manhattan Christian College. The Lady Warriors won the sets 25-23, 25-17 and 25-19. Sterling's efficient attack, hitting .211 with 41 kills, outpaced the Tiger's .069 hitting percentage. Sterling's defense also played a crucial role with 69 digs, contributing to their dominant performance.

The first set began with Sterling College taking an early lead, thanks to a series of successful plays from Abigail Howard and Caitlyn Belote, who both registered kills to make it 3-0. Sterling maintained their momentum with a service ace from Grace Battershell, extending their advantage to 9-3, which prompted a timeout from Central Christian College. Despite a push from Central Christian to level the score at 20-20, Aliya McClanahan's timely kills helped Sterling regain control. Sterling secured the set 25-23 with a decisive kill from Maddie Lundeen, assisted by Kaleigh Guhr, concluding a closely contested set.

The second set began with a back-and-forth exchange of points, but Sterling College soon found their rhythm. Chloe Schmidt contributed a crucial block to tie the score, and Taylor "Dru" Lindsey's service ace propelled Sterling into the lead. Following a timeout by Central Christian as the score reached 11-11, Sterling pressed their advantage with key plays from Kalli Kaser. Emma Butler facilitated a balanced attack, aiding in a 4-0 run that was instrumental in building a 21-14 lead. The set concluded with consecutive attack errors by the Tigers, allowing the Lady Warriors to secure the set 25-17.

SC opened the third set with a focused effort, quickly establishing a 2-0 lead with a kill from Howard assisted by Schmidt, followed by a block from Gracie Kirchhoff and Schmidt. Despite some service errors, Sterling maintained control, highlighted by a solid performance from Howard, who secured key points with kills, contributing to the 14-9 advantage. The set saw Sterling execute a crucial 5-1 run, including back-to-back kills by Kaira Rodriguez and a service ace from Brooklyn Kuster, forcing Central Christian to call two timeouts in attempts to halt the momentum. Ultimately, Sterling College closed the set with a 25-19 victory.

Howard led the Warriors with 10 kills, a .391 hitting percentage, and added six digs over three sets. Keala contributed significantly on defense with 13 digs while registering six assists. Butler provided offensive support with 13 assists across two sets, contributing six digs as well. Schmidt delivered a strong performance with six kills at a .286 hitting percentage and added three blocks.

Cottey - W3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-19)

Sterling College swept Cottey College 25-12, 25-15, 25-19 on Friday at the Thunder Invitational. Sterling dominated the match, recording 36 kills compared to Cottey's 18 and achieving a hitting percentage of .212. Sterling's 12 service aces contributed significantly to the victory, highlighting their strong performance in all three sets.

The Lady Warriors opened their set with a strong team effort, highlighted by Howard and Schmidt each contributing impactful kills early on. The home team capitalized on momentum swings, with Kirchoff and McClanahan combining for multiple successful attacks, pushing their lead to 14-9. A key moment came when Schmidt delivered consecutive service aces, extending Sterling's advantage and initiating a decisive 6-0 run that forced the Comets to call a timeout at 16-10. Sterling maintained control throughout, closing out the set 25-12 with Guhr's service ace sealing the victory.

SC secured a commanding second-set win over Cottey College, capitalizing on a series of scoring runs. Early in the set, Sterling took a 5-2 lead with a kill from Howard and maintained momentum with a service ace by Schmidt at 7-2. Sterling's defense was bolstered by key blocks from Kirchoff and McClanahan, contributing to a 6-0 run that prompted a Cottey timeout at 8-2. Butler played a pivotal role with multiple assists, while Belote closed the set with a decisive kill, securing a 25-15 victory.

The third set began with Schmidt securing the first point for the Lady Warriors, with a kill assisted by Butler. Despite an early lead, Sterling faced a challenging stretch as Cottey rallied to a 5-1 advantage with a series of points, including a service ace by Katelyn Scott. Sterling responded decisively, with a key service ace from Lindsey and a collaborative block by Kaser and Schmidt, which helped regain momentum. A final kill by Rodriguez, assisted by Wilson, sealed the set for Sterling at 25-19, highlighting the team's strategic play and effective scoring balance.

Schmidt stood out for Sterling with a team-high seven service aces and contributed seven kills, hitting .263 across three sets. Butler recorded a perfect hitting percentage of 1.000 with one kill from a single attempt and led the team with 19 assists. Lindsey, playing as libero, led the defensive efforts with 14 digs while adding one service ace over three sets.

Dallas Christian - W3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-23)

The Lady Warriors continued to roll against Dallas Christian winning in three 25-18, 25-21 and 25-23 in Sterling's first game on Saturday, Aug. 30. Sterling totaled 35 kills compared to Dallas Christian's 20. The Lady Warriors also got it done defensively with 47 digs compared to Dallas Christian's 39.

Schmidt led the Lady Warriors with seven kills with an efficiency rating of .636. Rodriguez was right behind her with six kills.

Butler led Sterling in assists with 15 while Guhr totaled 12 digs.

Manhattan Christian - L3-1 (25-12, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16)

Sterling's one loss of the tournament came from the host team, Manhattan Christian. The Lady Warriors came out slow losing the first set 25-12. Sterling battled back in the second, coming up just short, 25-18. In the third set, Sterling got their first win 25-21, but ran out of steam losing the final set 25-16. 

The Lady Warriors were led by McClanahan at the net who totaled 12 kills and three blocks. Kirchhoff was the Lady Warrior's next offensive threat finishing the game with seven kills. Battershell and Wilson led in assists with 18 and 11, respectively.

Defensively, Brooklyn Kuster led Sterling in digs with 16 followed by Wilson with 11.

Sterling will be back in action on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6 at the Mustang Invitational in Conway, Ark. The Lady Warriors (6-2) will take on the University of the Ozarks at 5:30 pm on Friday, followed by games on Saturday against Louisiana Christian (0-4) at 3 p.m. and Dallas Christian (0-4) at 8 p.m. 

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.