YORK, Neb. – The York University volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday, sweeping Cottey College 3-0 before falling 3-1 to Manhattan Christian College.

The Panthers are now 4-10 on the season.

Against Cottey College, head coach Irick Gardner's team was paced by Kaylee Weigel led the way with 12 kills. Liberty Baker and Jai Dotson posted six kills each while Isidora Pa Diaz Aguirre chipped in five. Kensey Clifton and Meadow Nusbaum distributed 17 and 10 assists, respectively. Florencia Felmer served up three aces while Ambar Ortiz had two.  

Valentina Jimenez posted a team-best 11 digs in the victory.

Felmer notched back-to-back aces for a 7-1 lead in the opening stanza. With a 12-7 advantage, Amber White slammed home a kill. Three errors by the visitors pushed the margin to 16-7. The Panthers pushed the margin to double figures on a kill by Pa Diaz Aguirre at 20-10. With a 23-15 lead, Pa Diaz Aguirre scored a point and an error by the visitors made it 25-15.

In the second set, York took a 7-2 lead after three consecutive errors by the visitors. Leading 12-11, another pair of errors, combined with a kill by Felmer, extended the lead to 15-11. Up 22-21, Pa Diaz Aguirre sparked a 3-0 run for the 25-21 victory.

The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set. Dotson had a pair of kills and Clifton tallied an ace during the run. Up 15-11, Baker and Weigel had kills. Elena Brown's ace made it 18-11. Holding a 20-14 edge, Weigel and Felmer notched kills. Dotson's point extended the margin to 24-18 before an error closed out the match for the 25-19 victory.

Against Manhattan Christian College, Weigel had a tremendous day, recording 16 kills while hitting .262. Felmer narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and 14 digs. Dotson added eight kills and three blocks while Pa Diaz Aguirre hit .462 and added six kills.

Nusbaum totaled 18 assists while Clifton added 17.

Defensively, Jimenez totaled 14 digs. Ambar Ortiz and Nusbaum had nine apiece.

Trailing 6-5 in the first set, Weigel started a run with a kill. Felmer added two kills before Ortiz served up an ace. Up 15-14, Felmer slammed home three straight passes for an 18-14 edge. Holding a 20-18 lead, Dotson hammered home a kill. Baker and Weigel added points, forcing a time-out. Maintaining a 23-22 advantage, Weigel found the court for a point before an attack error gave the Panthers a 25-22 win.

After falling 25-14 and 25-18 in the second and third sets, York played the visitors extremely close in what turned out to be the final set. Down 2-1, a pair of errors and a kill from Weigel pushed York to a 4-2 lead. Tied at 8-8, Ronan Merriex recorded a kill. A miscue extended the lead to two, 10-8. Tied at 14-14, Weigel registered back-to-back points. Dotson's block made it a 17-14 contest in favor of the home team. With the score at 18-18, an error by the opposition and an ace from Olivia Romero gave the home squad a 20-18 margin. However, a 7-1 run wrapped up the match.

The Panthers return to action Friday when they take on Cottey College and University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, Mo., beginning at 1 p.m.