Volleyball Opens Season With Exciting Five-Set Win

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The Avila volleyball team kicked off its 2023 campaign in style, outlasting College of the Ozarks (0-1) in an entertaining five-set affair on Friday night in Keeter Gym, lifting the Eagles (1-0) to a victory in their season opener.

When these two teams faced off in Mabee Fieldhouse last season, the Eagles won handily in a home sweep. Fast forward to the 2023 season opener for both teams, and the two sides look quite a bit different: the Bobcats are now a bit more seasoned and the Eagles are a bit younger. But even though the match script read a little differently this season than last, the ultimate final result was still the same: a victory for the Eagles.

With a ton of new faces in the lineup for head coach Marylyn Mozena in the first game of her third season, the more veteran Bobcats were the sharper team from the jump on Friday. Ozarks never trailed in the opening set, and three straight kills from outside hitter Abby Chadwell helped put the Bobcats in front for good in the middle part of the set. Avila won four straight points on the serve of freshman Sophia Giorgio to get back within 20-18, but one more kill from Chadwell sealed up the first set 25-21 for the home team.

The Eagles ultimately began to settle in as the match wore on and the team found its collective bearings. Ozarks led only once in the second set; after Diamond Sedlak notched a kill to put Avila in front 13-12, the Eagles led the rest of the way. Daphne Gardner set up middle Siobhan Dittmer for the winning kill at 25-23, evening the match at a set apiece.

Avila then seized full control of the match in the third set. With the Eagles leading 10-9, Gardner, the new featured setter, stepped up the line and anchored a run of seven straight points – she was credited with an ace, a block and an assist in the stretch – to put Avila in front for good. Once again, Gardner set up Dittmer for the winning kill, this time at 25-16, to move the Eagles to within a set of the match.

But the Bobcats were not prepared to just roll over. After Avila produced its best volleyball in the third set, Ozarks responded with its best volleyball in the fourth: the Bobcats scored eight of the first nine points to open up an early lead, and the Eagles could not recover. Three kills from Chelsea Schatzer helped Avila rally later, but COFO held on to a 25-19 win to force a fifth and final frame.

Fittingly for how close this contest was, the fifth set was dead even throughout. Two points was the largest lead either team held, but the biggest swing occurred in the middle of the frame, where Jones notched three kills over four points to help Avila spin a 9-7 deficit into an 11-9 lead. Gardner hit top returning hitter Phoebe Riddle for a kill to give the Eagles match point, and after Ozarks called a timeout the Bobcats sent over a free ball, and Gardner took full advantage, dropping the winning kill into the middle of the floor to wrap up a 15-13 win and a five-set victory for her team in her first collegiate game.

Ozarks outsides Chadwell and Bri Linehan both turned in strong games with 16 kills apiece, and Chadwell also tallied 12 assists as the No. 2 setter. Riddle paced the Eagles with a characteristically strong game, 14 kills on .407 hitting; Jones tallied a double-double (12 kills, 18 digs) in her collegiate debut; and Gardner starred in her own debut with a match-high 44 assists and 20 digs.

Up next, the Eagles will face a strong challenge in the form of crosstown foes MidAmerica Nazarene, a preseason Top 15 team in the NAIA, on Tuesday, August 29. First serve in that contest is slated for 7 PM, with varsity reserve taking the court at 5 PM. For details on how to watch and follow along, keep it locked to avilaathletics.com.