LIBERTY, MO - In a match that saw three of the four sets being one by just three points or less, Kentucky Wesleyan fell 3-1 (24-26, 16-25, 25-23, 22-25) in a tight contest to GLVC foe William Jewell to open their 2023 campaign. Despite the loss, this shows the improvements head coach
Alejandra Jimenez has made with the program, as the Panthers fell 3-0 in three lopsided sets last year.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair all the way through, with neither team leading by more than four points the entire way. Tied at 22,
Ava Rebarchik notched an ace and
Mariah Jones added a kill to give the Panthers a 24-22 advantage. WJC then used a 4-0 rally to close out the set and go up 1-0.
Down 7-1 early in the second set, Kentucky Wesleyan couldn't come back, falling 25-16 in the frame.
In yet another back-and-forth third set, the Panthers found themselves trailing 19-15 late. Two errors from the Cardinals and a kill from
Olivia Patton quickly put Wesleyan down just one. Three kills from senior
Hallie McGuire helped Wesleyan close it out and win the set 25-23.
Kills in the middle of the fourth set from
Nicole Hughes and
Julia Kupper gave Wesleyan a 13-12 advantage. William Jewell followed those strong Panther plays with an 8-2 run to turn a one-point deficit into a four-point advantage. The Cardinals fought off some late kills from McGuire to hold on for the 25-22 win.
Hallie McGuire led the Panthers with 13 kills, followed by
Nicole Hughes (8) and
Ava Rebarchik (6). Rebarchik led with five strong blocks at the net, while transfer
Embry Burgess notched 10 digs.
Julia Kupper managed to start the year off with a bang, setting a new career high with 37 assists in the contest.
Wesleyan will have two chances at redemtion tomorrow as they face Northwest Missouri State at 10 a.m. CT and Rockhurst at 2 p.m. CT. Both games will take place at Rockhurst.
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