Ravens Volleyball won a thrilling five-set match at home Tuesday night.
The Ravens topped the MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers, 3-2, staying perfect in matches that go the distance.
The Ravens fell behind early in the fifth set, 3-1, but rattled off 5-straight points to take a 6-3 lead in the race to 15. Up 11-7 later in the fifth, Amber Allen scored on a quick move and then Hokulani Sagapolu's kill put the Ravens up 13-7. The Pioneers answered with 3-straight points to make it 13-10 in favor of the Ravens, but the match was decided with Maura Lickteig's kill to give the Ravens a 15-12 set win, and 3-2 match win. The Ravens are a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches so far this season.
The Pioneers took an early 5-4 lead in the first set and held that lead almost the entirety of the set. Down 12-8, the Ravens called a timeout and responded with a 3-0 run to get within 1 point. After MNU went up 19-16, the Ravens went on a 4-1 run capped off with an Allen ace to level the score, 20-20. The Pioneers scored the next 2 points, but the Ravens tied things up again with back-to-back points by Mary Pat Taylor and Sagapolu. But it was the Pioneers who closed out the set with 3-straight points to take the first set 25-22.
The Ravens raced out to a 10-4 lead in the second set and then at 14-7 forced MNU to call its second timeout. The Pioneers responded to that, going on a 14-6 run to take a 21-20 lead against the Ravens. But Taylor and the Ravens answered. Taylor's kill tied the game back up at 21-21, then Taylor capped off a 5-0 run with the set-winning kill to give the Ravens a 25-21 win, leveling the match at 1-1.
Back-to-back aces by Haley Cahill helped the Ravens take the lead in the third set, 13-11. That turned into an 8-1 run as the Ravens went ahead 19-12. But as they did in the second set, the Pioneers had an answer and cut the Ravens lead to 20-17. It wasn't enough for the visitors as the Ravens won the set, 25-20, on the kill of Sagapolu and went ahead in the match 2-1. Sagapolu was successful on 7 of her 10 attacks in the third set.
MNU answered by taking the fourth set, 25-22. The Pioneers took an 18-14, and then held a 24-20 lead. The Ravens scored twice to cut into the deficit, but the visitors forced a decisive fifth set with the win. The exciting finish ended with the Ravens on top.
Sagapolu had a match-high 21 kills with 12 digs to go along with it. Taylor had 19 kills and 16 digs, and Lickteig was the final Raven in double figures with 10 kills. Allen had 55 assists and Cahill recorded 5 aces. Evelyn Arreola led the Ravens with 26 digs.
The Ravens (11-3, 3-1 Heart) will close out their homestand with matches against Peru State at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, and Graceland at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.
