The Cedarville volleyball team defeated Malone University in straight identical sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-16) on Monday night. The victory, their fifth in a row, moves the Jackets to 9-6 (2-0) on the season.
Fans in attendance were clad in white for the annual white out match in the Callan Athletic Center.
“I love the atmosphere here,” sophomore student Thomas Sizer said. “It’s fun to be around everyone, be with friends, and be a little crazy every once in awhile.”
Junior student Kenton Ulmer said he thinks it’s good to support his fellow teammates.
“I enjoy watching volleyball and I always like to see the Jackets win!” Ulmer said.
The Lady Jackets won a closely contested first set 25-16. The set had seven ties in the early going. After the set was tied at 15, the Jackets scored eight straight points to take the lead and determine the opening set.
“We were having trouble in the first set with the timing of the block, so we had to slow our block down a little bit,” Coach Walters said. “Once we got the timing down that helped our back row to get digs, and we were able to turn those into points.”
The second set was oddly similar to the first. After seven ties and four lead changes in the beginning of the set, the Jackets scored seven straight points to take a 21-13 lead. The lead gave the ladies the cushion they needed to easily win the second set 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
Cedarville dominated the final set by a score of 25-16, completing the sweep and, surprisingly, winning every set by the same exact score.
The win was the Lady Jackets’ fifth straight victory. After a weekend road trip in West Virginia, the win on Monday marked their third in the last four days. Cedarville has only lost one set in the quick succession of matches.
“I think the key has been coming out really strong and with a lot of energy at first,” senior Amanda Bell said. “Sometimes we start really slow and then we build, but we need to start fast.”
The non-conference victory over Malone marked the first victory by the Jackets this season over an opponent that defeated them in 2013.
“I think we had a little bit of confidence last year,” Bell said. “We knew we were a good team, but this year we really know it and play like we have confidence, so I think that’s been a big factor with some of these good teams.”
Coach Walters said he knew this year would be exciting for the team.
“We had a rough second weekend of the season so that was a little disappointing, but we had some good discussions after that weekend was done,” Walters said. “Ever since then the team has come in with a different mindset every day. They know they can execute on a high level and it’s showing up on the floor.”
Paul McMichael is a senior preseminary Bible major and a sports reporter for Cedars.
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