SALINA, Kan. – The Montana Tech volleyball team opened up the KWU Labor Day Tournament with back-to-back victories. Tech swept McPherson College in the first match than dominated Friends University, 3-0 in its second match. With the wins, Tech (9-2) earned its third straight victory.
Match one: Tech 3, McPherson College 0
Montana Tech made quick work of the Bulldogs winning in straight sets (25-8, 25-23, 25-21) Saturday morning. The Diggers had 39 kills on the night and only committed 11 errors for a hit percentage of .289. Sydney Norris led the way with a team-high eight kills to go along with seven digs. Junior Haley Druyvestein contributed with seven Kills and three blocks. Freshman Katie Wiley added four kills and three blocks while Makenzie Bauck had a match-high 32 assists.
It was all Montana Tech in the first set. The Diggers had nine kills and forced 12 hitting errors on their way to the 25-8 victory.
The Bulldogs jumped up to a 4-0 lead in the more competitive second set. Kylee Berridge ended the McPherson's run via a kill from Bauck. Tech used a 5-0 run later in the set to take the 10-7 lead. The Bulldogs went on a run of their own to tie up the contest at 12 all. The Orediggers regrouped to take the seven-point lead at 21-14. MC made a late push to pull within one, but Norris and the Diggers held on to the 25-23 win.
It was more of the same in the third set. Tech broke a 17-17 tie off of a Haley Druyvestein kill. The Diggers would use that momentum to go on a 7-4 run to close out the set with a 25-21 win.
Match two: Tech 3, Friends University 0
The Diggers cruised to the 25-15, 25-12, 25-15 victory over the Falcons Saturday afternoon. The Diggers hit for 35 kills for .386 hitting percentage. Jordan Danz had a team-high nine kills, two digs and a block to lead the Diggers. Bailie Cortner added eight kills and two blocks.
Danz scored the first point for the Orediggers in the first set and they didn't look back. The Diggers hit .444 percent for 15 kills in the set. Tech used a series of runs on their way to capture the 25-15 victory.
It was more of the same in set number two. Tech forced 14 Falcon errors easing its way to the 25-12 win over Friends.
Both squads hit very well in the third set. Tech had 11 kills with only one error while Friends had 12 kills with a .318 hit percentage. Both teams were neck-and-neck midway through the set. The Diggers broke free to take a 10-point advantage (21-11) and held on to the 25-15 win.
Tech concludes the KWU Labor Day Tournament on Sunday with a pair of matches against Briar Cliff University and host Kansas Wesleyan.
