First-place Lady Jackets sweep Kentucky Wesleyan

By Rylee Brown

After a week away from competition, the Cedarville women’s volleyball team swept Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon, 25-12, 25-15, 25-21 to remain atop the GMAC South Division standings

The Lady Jackets (12-9, 8-2 GMAC) started strong and it showed through their consistent performance to gain a quick lead over the last-place Panthers (5-17, 1-10). The energy was high on the Jackets’ side of the court with many strong kills early in the first set. Kentucky Wesleyan struggled to defend against the fierce attacks from Cedarville. 

“We started out with a lot of energy after a good week of practices and it was good to take those practices into game play,” said starting setter Sidney Shepherd.

Cedarville’s back row delivered tenacious defense all game, keeping the ball up and Kentucky Wesleyan’s attacks off the floor. Not once in either the first or second set did the Lady Jackets allow the Panthers to take the lead. They used their momentum and energy to extend their lead to prevent the Panthers from overcoming them.

Errors from Kentucky Wesleyan added to Cedarville’s advantage throughout the opening two sets. The Jackets paired those opportunities with sustained scoring runs to prevent the Panthers from being able to find a foothold in the match.

Abby Mainka’s resounding kill to close the second set capped another strong performance on the Lady Jackets’ side. With Shepherd setting up the attack, Cedarville continued to place pressure on Kentucky Wesleyan and finished out the set sitting a comfortable 10 points ahead.

A new set and along with that a new leader, Kentucky Wesleyan came out and stunned Cedarville by taking a four-point lead to open the third set. The Panthers were hungry for a way back into the fight and this set was their chance.

“We just had to make adjustments,” head coach Greg Smith said. “We were caught on our heels, but I liked how we adjusted, how we answered to what they were doing. So it was a good match for us.”.

With the Panthers ahead 17-13, Cedarville needed a response.

Cedarville struggled to maintain its composure, errors were occurring, their passing was struggling, and it seemed there was some miscommunication. The Jackets were able to reign it in eventually after a few strong kills allowed them to rework their mindset.

“They’ve gone through a lot of battles, a lot of tough matches, and I feel like they can stay calm in those moments because they trust themselves,” Smith said.

With a block from Carley Craighead and Madelyn Hensley sparking the comeback, the Lady Jackets scored six unanswered points, including a five-point service run by Hensley, to take a 19-17 lead.

Match point. Cedarville was within reach of the sweep, but Kentucky Wesleyan wasn’t ready to let go. Back-to-back kills kept the Panthers in contention, but a service error handed Cedarville the final point, sealing the third set 25-21 and completing the sweep.