Volleyball moves into first place tie with win at Labette

Playing at Labette Community College on Wednesday, the No. 3-ranked Cowley College volleyball team got 15 aces in a 25-9, 25-11, 25-11 win over the Cardinals.

The victory moves Cowley (23-0) into a tie for first place with Johnson County in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division as both teams are 6-0.

In Wednesday's opening set, Cowley jumped out to a 14-2 lead and did not look back in the 25-9 win.

"We came in and did what we wanted to do," Cowley head coach Steven Gream said. "We served aggressively and balanced our attack."

Cowley was in control again in set two as they opened an 18-7 lead en route to the 25-11 win.

With set three tied 6-6, Cowley would score the next seven points and coasted to the 25-11 victory.

Sophomore Anna Kiss led Cowley with 10 kills and a .692 hitting percentage, along with a team-high six service aces. Fellow sophomore Rossana Papa also played well, finishing with 30 assists and four aces.

"When Anna and Rossana are serving like that, it makes it very tough on our opponents," Gream said.

With the 30 assists, Papa moved past Caroline Foster into fourth place on the school's all-time assists list with 2,378 career assists.

Freshman Sara Puskus added eight kills, while Laura Bonomi and Noemi Nyers added six and five kills, respectively.

"When we balance our attack like this, it makes us very hard to defend," Gream said.

Labette (4-13), losers of five matches in a row, is now 1-5 in the conference.

Cowley will return to action Friday when they face the Friends University JV at 7 p.m. in Wichita, KS. Tickets for the match must be purchased online at https://friendsathletics.com/sports/2023/3/20/1279_133238161957782550.aspx

Photo Credit: Aigiza Nasyrova