Tigers take down a pair of junior varsity squads

Not looking ahead to its match against top-seeded Johnson County on Wednesday, the No. 3-ranked Cowley College volleyball team had no problem defeating a pair of junior varsity teams. The Tigers started with a 25-10, 25-11, 25-13 victory at the Friends University JV on Friday before knocking off the Ottawa University JV 25-13, 25-8, 25-19 Saturday at W.S. Scott Auditorium.

"We played well with us being able to serve aggressively, balance our attack, and play solid defense to cause pressure to help us make scoring runs," Cowley head coach Steven Gream said. "Both matches allowed us to work on things to prepare for a challenging week next week."

Anna Kiss led Cowley with 14 kills in the win over Friends, while Sara Puskus and Laura Bonomi added nine and seven kills, respectively.

Puskus would finish with a team-high 11 kills in the victory over Ottawa. Bonomi was just behind with 10 kills, while Kiss (eight kills) and Valarie Luna (seven kills) also contributed to the win.

Sophomore setter Rossana Papa had 78 assists in the two wins and added a double-double (38 assists, 10 digs) in the victory over the Ottawa University JV.

"Rossana Papa is doing an excellent job distributing the ball to our hitters to get perfect looks for our hitters against the defense," Gream said. "But our passing and defense is allowing her the luxury to have good looks before she sets. I cannot stress enough how important passing and defense have fueled our offense with being in the system and having options."

Cowley improves its record to 25-0 on the season. The Lady Tigers are tied with Johnson County with a record of 6-0 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. The Cavaliers (27-2) lost its first two matches of the season over the weekend as they lost to No. 4-ranked Parkland and No. 11-ranked Kirkwood Community College.

Cowley plays at Johnson County on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

"Johnson County is always a good match with both teams usually ranked and pushing for good seeding in the conference and national rankings," Gream said. "They are very talented, very fundamental, and are very well coached. Last year, it came down to the wire, and we anticipate another great match on their home court."

Photo Credit: James Dill