PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Wayland Baptist's volleyball team picked up its first victory of the season, knocking off Montana State-Northern on Friday afternoon, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21. The Pioneers ended the day by facing Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (Ariz.) and falling, 25-15, 25-11, 25-21.
The action was part of the Ottawa Invitational, which Wayland kicked off Thursday by taking on the host Ottawa Spirit. The Pioneers were tripped up, 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22.
The Pioneers wind up the weekend with their fourth match of the tourney at noon Central Saturday in Mesa, Ariz., against Benedictine at Mesa.
Against Montana State-Northern,
Tatijana Markic and
Paxton Patterson produced 20 kills apiece, with Markic committing five errors and hitting .341. The 20 kills were Markic's most since logging 28 two seasons ago, while Patterson set a new career-best for the second straight night; she recorded 19 kills Thursday against Ottawa. Wayland hit .191.
Five Pioneers ended with double-digit digs, led by
Amber Daniel with 19 and
Lucie Mahelova with 16.
Ariel Marquez added 15, Markic 13 and
Tevia Bell 11.
Alexa Hinojos paced Wayland with four block-assists, while Patterson had three. Mahelova provided 54 assists.
Against Embry-Riddle, Wayland struggled finding its rhythm. The Pioneers hit just .067, compared to ERU's .268, and managed just 25 kills, led by Markic's nine. Hinojos added seven with just a single error and hit an eye-popping .462.
Marquez dug 13 balls, with Mahelova getting 10. Wayland logged just four blocks, 10 fewer than ERU.
