Eagles Take Down Panthers for First Conference Victory

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After getting edged by York in the first set, the longest set of Avila's season by far, Avila volleyball (4-10, 1-3 KCAC) got into a groove and ultimately cruised past the Panthers (2-15, 0-5 KCAC), concluding Avila's Homecoming weekend with a four-set victory inside Mabee Fieldhouse on Saturday night.

In a matchup of two teams looking for their first conference victory in 2023, York pulled out the first frame after an insane back-and-forth set. But the Panthers were quite shorthanded, and the Eagles' depth, youth and talent won out: York seemed to run out of a steam after that marathon first frame, and after two more fairly close frames, Avila absolutely dominated in the fourth set, wrapping up a four-set victory and getting into the win column in KCAC play.

Playing inside Mabee Fieldhouse for just the second time this season to close out Avila's 2023 Homecoming festivities, the Eagles and Panthers treated the Kansas City crowd to something extremely unique: a first set which York finally won 35-33 in the definition of a back-and-forth frame. The teams combined to save a total of 10 set point opportunities before a pair of Eagle errors finally gifted the set to the visitors.

Against a thin, inexperienced Panther team, the Eagles improved in all phases as the night wore on: Avila's serving, blocking and hitting all got better later in the match, and York simply was not able to keep up. York was in the driver's seat for much of the second set and led 18-16 before head coach Marylyn Mozena called a timeout, which kicked the Eagles into action: Daphne Gardner set up Siobhan Dittmer for back to back kills out of that timeout to get the team in gear, and Avila finished by scoring nine of the final 12 points of the set to finish off a 25-21 win.

The third set was once again even to start off with until Avila made the first big move, getting a service ace from Sophia Giorgio to open up a 20-16 lead, the largest of the set, until back to back kills from Paige Huhman extended that lead to 24-18, giving the Eagles six set points. Undeterred, York managed to fend off four of them before another Avila timeout put out the fire: a Liberty Baker attack error squashed any chance of a comeback, and Avila held on to win 25-22.

And there was never any chance of a comeback in the fourth set as the Eagles put together their best frame in conference play so far. Ahead 6-5 in the early going, Avila made the first move, scoring five straight off the serve of Sydney Owens to go up 11-5. York hung around and got within 13-10, but a Diamond Sedlak kill gave Avila the side out and sent super senior Kyleighn Block to the service line, and Avila ripped off the next 10 straight points to take a commanding lead, punctuated by a kill from Owens off the bench. Phoebe Riddle and Chelsea Schatzer teamed up to block Liberty Baker on match point, wrapping up a dominant fourth set win, 25-12, and clinching a four-set victory for the Eagles on their home floor.

Top York hitter Danielle Armendariz led the way with 12 kills, but Avila limited her to hitting just .078. Maddie Jones led the Eagles with 14 kills along with 15 digs in another double-double performance, and Dittmer added 11 kills and three total blocks. Abigail Blake led all players with 24 digs along with two aces.

Up next, Avila volleyball will try to stretch this win into a win streak when the Eagles welcome Southwestern to Mabee Fieldhouse this Wednesday, October 4. JV starts the doubleheader at 4 PM, with varsity to follow at 6. As always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network.