MARSHALL, Mo. – Raven Volleyball opened its season on Friday and Saturday with four games at the Missouri Valley College Invite.
Benedictine picked up three straight sweeps to open the season with 3-0 wins over University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy, Bethany (Kan.), and Hannibal-LaGrange before falling 3-1 to Oklahoma Wesleyan to wrap up the trip.
The Ravens opened the trip on Friday with a 25-23, 25-13, 25-12 win over UHSP and a 25-11, 25-23, 25-23 win over Bethany.
Regan Bruggeman and Maura Lickteig led the Ravens attack with 9 kills each as the Ravens finished with 34 kills as a team. Marea Wortman set up the attack with 29 assists as the team finished with 34 assists against UHSP. Against Bethany, Lickteig, and Sabrina Oncins led the Ravens attack with 8 kills each as the team finished with 34. Wortman anchored the attack with 22 assists while Marissa Mantz added 12.
Saturday, the Ravens opened up the day with a 25-21, 25-13, 25-19 win over Hannibal-LaGrange before falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan. Benedictine opened the match with their 10-straight set win before Oklahoma Wesleyan won the next three sets 25-20, 25-22, 25-18.
Oncins led the attack for the Ravens against Hannibal-LaGrange with 10. Mary Pat Taylor and Joslyn Lewis were close behind with 9 each as the Ravens finished with 47 kills as a team. Wortmann anchored the attack with 28 assists while Mantz added 18.
In the loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan, the Ravens finished with a tournament-high 51 kills with three players in double figures in kills. Taylor and Bruggeman led the way with 12 kills each while Oncins added 10. Wortmann finished with 28 assists while Mantz added 21.
For the weekend, the Ravens finished with 195 digs and 15 total blocks. Kristijana Istuk finished the tournament with a team-high 46 digs while Oncins added 39. Lickteig led the front-row defensive effort with 3 solo blocks and 6 block assists while Maggie Schoening added 5.
The Ravens will remain on the road next week, traveling to Bellevue, Neb., for four matches at the GoSarpy.com Tournament hosted by Bellevue University.
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