NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – Sophomore Emma Brenelli had two double-digit kill matches as the Briar Cliff University volleyball team (1-1) came away with a split, Saturday at Thresher Gym. The Chargers beat Oklahoma Panhandle State (0-2) 3-1 and lost 3-0 to Bethel (Kan.) (2-0).
Oklahoma Panhandle State – W, 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23)
For Briar Cliff, Brenelli had 11 kills and four block assists, senior Taryn Nothem recorded 11 kills and junior Isabelle Lenz had eight kills while hitting .368. Junior Avery Beller had 23 digs and senior Olivia Corey collected 19 digs. The Chargers had 22 block assists led by freshman Aubrey Hoeft with eight and sophomore Aliyah Basham with five.
For Oklahoma Panhandle, Ava Newby had 12 kills, Brenna Moore had 11 kills and Taylore Alsaid had 23 digs.
Briar Cliff Head Coach Lindsey Weatherford
“I was pleased with the energy we showed throughout the match. I was impressed with our offensive production, especially from Taryn Nothem, Aliyah Basham, Isabelle Lenz and Emma Brenelli. On the defensive end, freshman Aubrey Hoeft had an impressive collegiate start. She contributed several key blocks and finished with eight block assists.”
Bethel (Kan.) – L, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24)
For Briar Cliff, Lenz had 11 kills while Brenelli had 10 kills. Beller had 18 digs.
For Bethel, Cameron Offerle had 14 kills and 10 digs. Mia Roman had 38 assists with 18 digs.
Weatherford
“In the opening set, we came out really strong. In each of the last two sets, we fell behind and had to play catch-up. Bethel was a strong offensive team but didn’t have an answer for Isabelle (Lenz) which allowed us to score quick points and side out often. We showed determination and grit and fought off several match points in the third set. I saw plenty of important things on the court against a team that won 23 matches last year.”
Briar Cliff keep to the road, Friday, Aug. 23, playing Clarke and University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. The matches, which are in Dubuque, Iowa, are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., respectively.
