COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Columbia College volleyball team (19-6, 9-0 AMC) kept rolling Tuesday night, sweeping Cottey (6-16, 1-8 AMC) 25-19, 25-23, 25-16 in the Arena of Southwell Complex. The Cougars have won seven straight matches and haven't dropped a set in 21 tries.
Columbia hits the road this weekend for three matches in Kentucky. The trip opens Friday at 6 p.m. at Lindsey Wilson, followed by a Saturday tri-match in Campbellsville against Cumberland and the host Tigers.
Rowan Carr got things going early. Her serving run, capped by an ace, put Columbia up 6-1 before the Comets settled in. Cottey answered with a five-point run of its own behind Aubrianna Jefferson and went in front 9-7. Isabella Kincaid's ace knotted it at 10, and the Cougars went ahead for good at 12-11. Carr went back to the line with Columbia up 16-13, picked up her second ace during a three-point spurt, and Viola Giangreco finished off the set.
The Cougars controlled most of the second set. Taylor Johnson's serve built an early 5-1 lead, and Hannah Vogt reeled off five straight points to make it 11-4. Cottey didn't go away. The Comets chipped back into it and tied the set at 23. A Cottey miscue gave Columbia set point, and Carr ended it with a kill.
The third set stayed tight early, with six ties through 9-9. Kincaid broke it open with a four-point run that included her second ace of the night. Vogt then put the match out of reach. During her stint at the service line, she added an ace and a kill of her own to turn an 18-13 lead into 22-13. Samira Baltazar took care of the rest, putting down the final two points.
Carr was nearly flawless at the net, with 11 kills and no errors on 26 swings for a .423 clip. She added two aces and nine digs. Giangreco chipped in 10 kills on .348 hitting. Johnson matched her 23-dig effort from Saturday, and Columbia's 63 digs were the most in a three-set match this season. The Cougars hit .234 and held Cottey to .062.
