YANKTON, S.D. — York had a mixed day on Saturday, sweeping Haskell 3-0 before falling to Mount Marty 3-1.
In the match against Haskell, the Panthers triumphed with set scores of 25-23, 25-17, 25-22. York showcased their offensive prowess, finishing with a 39-28 advantage in kills and a 73-60 lead in digs, while hitting .138 compared to Haskell's .054. The Panthers took control early in the first set, moving ahead from a 5-5 tie with critical kills by
Meadow Nusbaum,
Florencia Felmer, and
Isidora Diaz Aguirre. A service ace from Nusbaum secured the set at 25-23 after Haskell closed the gap to 24-23.
The second set saw York overcome a 10-5 deficit, tying the game at 12-12 thanks to
Ambar Ortiz's service ace and kills from
Ronan Merriex,
Leyra Ruiz, and Felmer. York surged ahead 21-15 after winning seven of the next eight rallies, with Diaz Aguirre notably contributing three kills. The Panthers clinched the set 25-17, highlighted by back-to-back kills from Merriex, assisted by
Kory Anschutz.
In the final set, trailing 22-20, York rallied to finish strong, scoring five straight points, capped off by Ortiz's serving streak featuring two aces. Felmer initiated the comeback with a kill, leading to a 25-22 set victory. Ruiz led York with nine kills, while Diaz Aguirre added eight kills at .316 hitting, contributing three digs. Ortiz recorded 25 digs and three aces, and Nusbaum tallied 17 assists, two aces, and five digs.
However, in the second match against Mount Marty, York struggled, losing with set scores of 16-25, 25-19, 15-25, 21-25. They finished with 35 kills and a .053 hitting percentage, while Mount Marty achieved 47 kills with a .230 hitting percentage. The Panthers initially stayed competitive in the first set, tying at 3-3 on a kill from Diaz Aguirre, but Mount Marty pulled away to take the set 25-16.
York rebounded in the second set, overcoming a 12-7 deficit behind a serving stretch from Nusbaum that helped level the score at 12-12. They gained a lead at 14-13 with a kill from De La Garza and closed the set 25-19 after
Jassania Joseph's back-to-back kills and another ace from Nusbaum.
Despite starting strong in the third set with an 8-5 lead, they were unable to maintain momentum as Mount Marty surged ahead, winning the set 25-15. In the fourth set, York led 13-9 after a strong serving run from Nusbaum, but Mount Marty rallied to tie at 14-14 and eventually won the set 25-21, closing out the match.
Ambar Ortiz excelled defensively with 18 digs, two service aces, and three assists. Nusbaum recorded 17 assists, three service aces, and five digs. Merriex contributed eight kills, while Joseph added seven kills, one service ace, and one solo block.
Up next, the Panthers volleyball team travels to Kansas City, Mo., to face Avila (MO) on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m.
