A dominant fourth set propelled Ravens Volleyball to an important home win on Saturday.

The Ravens defeated the Culver-Stockton College Wildcats 3-1 to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Ravens jumped out to an early lead in the first set, going up 12-7, then extending it o 17-9 to take control of the set. The Wildcats chipped into the Ravens lead a little bit in the latter portion of the opening set, but the Ravens earned a 25-18 set win. The home team had 4 aces, 2 blocks, and a .114 hit percentage in the first set.

The Ravens pushed their advantage to 2-0 with a thorough effort in the second set. The Ravens took control early, rushing out to an 8-1 lead. They held a big lead for the remainder of the set, going up 23-13 before Culver-Stockton made a small run. Still, the Ravens won the set 25-18 to move ahead 2-0 in the match.

The Ravens hit percentage improved to .212 in the second set, notching 14 kills and just 7 errors

The Wildcats made sure there was no Ravens sweep on Saturday. After the Ravens jumped out to a 5-1 lead early in the third set, Culver-Stockton went on an 11-5 run to take a 12-10 lead. After the Ravens tied the set 14-14, the Wildcats went on another run to win the set 25-16.

The Ravens attack struggled in the third set as the home team recorded a .091 hit percentage. The Wildcats, on the other hand, had a .412 hit percentage in the third set.

The Ravens took care of business in the fourth set, unleashing their best attack of the day. With the score tied 11-11, the Ravens went on a 14-2 to win the set 25-13, taking the match 3-1. The Ravens recorded a .433 hit percentage in the final set, looking nearly flawless in the match-clinching run.

Regan Bruggeman led the Ravens with 17 kills, including 7 kills in the fourth set, alone. Haylie Dickerson added 10 kills while Katarina Vojvodic and Mary Pat Taylor head had 9 kills. Marea Wortman had 40 assists and 9 digs. Taylors 16 digs led the Ravens, and Kristijana Istuk added 14 digs. The Ravens had 11 aces on the afternoon; Taylor had 4, and Wortmann, Hailey Folkers, and Katelyn Malick each had 2.

The win improves the Ravens to 15-13 on the season, and Saturday's match was a crucial conference win to improve the team to 10-8 in Heart of America play.

The Ravens close out the regular season on Tuesday at home against the MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers. The Ravens and Pioneers are tied for fourth place in the Heart South, with Tuesday's winner earning a spot in the Heart Conference Postseason Tournament.