Knights volleyball drops two to finish road trip

Arkansas City, Kan. – Knights volleyball finished the weekend road trip by falling to Ranger College and No. 1 Cowley County Community College on Saturday afternoon.

Jaelyn Dicke led the way with 23 kills and 34 digs, while Aubrey Grant totaled 32 set assists in two matches.  

Ranger 3 North Platte 1

Neither side could distance themselves early as the game remained close in the opening stages. North Platte briefly took the lead on a Dicke kill, but three straight points sparked the Lady Rangers offense. Down by five late in the set, the Knights used a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to one on an attacking error. The Lady Rangers hit the reset button and used a 3-1 rally to close out the set.

A 4-0 run to open the second set was capped off by a kill by Nya Lual. North Platte kept their foot on the gas and extended their lead to six, but the Lady Rangers responded to narrow the margin to four at the midway point of the set. The Knights defense halted the rally before once again stretching their lead out to six on an attacking error. The margin was cut to two late in the set, but North Platte took a deep breath and closed the set out with an ace by Fatima Gomez.

A battle early in the third set gave way to a 5-1 run that helped the Lady Rangers take control of the match. The Lady Rangers lead was extended to five where it would remain for most of the set. North Platte climbed back within three late, but the Lady Rangers answered to take a 2-1 set advantage.

The Lady Rangers carried their momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The margin continued to grow throughout the remainder of the set, as the Lady Rangers put the finishing touches on the match.

Cowley 3 North Platte 0

The No. 1 Tigers dominated the opening set. Cowley surged out to an 11-3 advantage and never looked back to take the opening set, 25-6.

Cowley surged ahead in the second set, but two straight points from Dicke cut the deficit in half. A 5-0 run by the Tigers led the Knights to call their first timeout. North Platte used the break to reset and quickly attacked the deficit. Trailing 13-6, the Knights outscored the Tigers 9-4 to pull back within two. Cowley responded with a 7-1 run to take the second set.

Teams traded points to open the third set, before a 6-0 run helped Cowley take control. The Tigers once again showed off their dominance, as they rolled to a 25-16 set win to close out the match.

Knights (4-14) will open the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday against Southeast Community College. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.