PARAGOULD, Ark. – The Columbia College volleyball team (18-6, 8-0 AMC) went 2-0 Saturday at the CRC Pod without dropping a set. The Cougars swept Harris-Stowe (4-9, 2-6 AMC) 25-11, 25-11, 25-15 and Stephens (5-12, 3-3 AMC) 25-11, 25-16, 25-13. Columbia has now won six straight matches and 18 consecutive sets.
The Cougars return home Tuesday, Oct. 6, to host Cottey College in AMC action at 6 p.m. in the Arena of Southwell Complex.
Columbia hit .377 on the day, with 84 kills against 12 errors. The Cougars held their two opponents to a combined -.026.
COLUMBIA 3, HARRIS-STOWE 0 (25-11, 25-11, 25-15)
Columbia hit .407 in the first set. Trailing 5-3, the Cougars took control when Taylor Johnson served five straight points for a 10-3 lead. A four-point run behind Hannah Vogt's serve later pushed the lead to 23-9, before Columbia closed it out 25-11.
The second set opened with a 4-0 Cougar run. Alexa Olson then served six straight points to turn a 7-4 lead into a 13-4 cushion. Harris-Stowe committed 13 attack errors and hit -.206 in the frame. Back-to-back blocks from Heather Bana and Kenedi Canty closed it out.
The Hornets made the third set the closest of the match, with six ties and five lead changes. Harris-Stowe led 8-6 before the Cougars tied it at eight. Isabella Kincaid then served eight straight points, including an ace, to make it 15-8, and Columbia pulled away from there.
The Cougars hit .345 for the match and held Harris-Stowe to -.051. Columbia out-blocked the Hornets 10-2. Canty tied her career high with eight total blocks and added five kills on .375 hitting. Viola Giangreco led the attack with eight kills on 14 swings without an error, a .571 clip. Vogt finished with 17 assists, three aces and eight digs.
*Ties career high
COLUMBIA 3, STEPHENS 0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-13)
Columbia opened with a 4-0 run and hit .455 in the first set, with 16 kills and one error. Johnson served four straight points to stretch a 7-2 lead to 11-2, and Kincaid's serve later took the Cougars from 22-10 to 24-10.
Vogt opened the second set with a 3-0 run that included an ace. Stephens pulled within 16-13 on a Michalina Oles ace, but Columbia closed the set on a 9-3 run.
The Stars tied the third set three times, the last at 5-5. Kincaid then served six straight points to make it 12-5. A four-point run behind Vogt's serve made it 18-8, and a Giangreco kill ended the match.
The Cougars hit .404 for the match, their second-best mark of the season, while Stephens hit .000. Rowan Carr led Columbia with 12 kills on .355 hitting and added nine digs. Kincaid had seven kills and 10 digs, and Samira Baltazar also had seven kills. Canty put away five kills on six swings for an .833 percentage and added four block assists. Johnson finished with 23 digs.
