Surprise, ARIZ.- The Spirit bring their winning streak up to four after a thrilling five-set victory (3-2) GSAC leader The Master's (14-6 OVR, 8-2 GSAC) on Friday. The win moves the Spirit to 13-6 and their conference record to 7-2 which keeps OUAZ at third place in the GSAC, and only a half a game back of The Master's for a top 2 seed which would ensure the Spirit would host a first-round conference tournament game.
Set 1:
The Spirit started the first set strong, with a 25-18 set one victory. Kaitlin Brown led the team with eight kills, with Jenna (From Idaho) Sarff having four kills, and Katy Shockey having two kills. Kaiden Raif added two service aces as well in the winning effort.
Set 2:
The Spirit battled hard but ultimately lost the second set 26-24 to the Mustangs. Brown led the team with six kills, with Lauren Wamsley having five kills, and Jessica Pearce with three kills. Brown also added a service ace in the effort.
Set 3:
The Master's would take set three 25-01 to take a 2-1 set lead going into the fourth set. Pearce led the Spirit with three kills, followed by Brown and Wamsley each having two kills. Ka'ena Kekaualua, Raif, and Wamsley each added a service ace in the effort.
Set 4:
The Spirit responded big in the fourth set for a 25-17 set victory, tying the match at 2-2 and forcing a fifth. Wamsley led the way with five kills, followed by Brown and Sarff with two kills each. Brown and Kekaualua each added a service ace in the winning effort.
Set 5:
The Spirit would win the fifth and final set in a back-and-forth 15-13 affair, to win the match 3-2. Pearce led the way with three kills, followed by Brown and Sarff who each had two kills. Reegan Shoquist added a kill in the winning effort.
Top Performers:
The Spirit had some great performances in today's victory. Brown was the team's leading scorer with 22.5 points, which included a game high 20 kills, two service aces, and 14 digs. Wamsley also played well with 17.5 points, 14 kills, 16 digs, a solo block, a blocking assist, and two service aces. Pearce put together a great game as well with 16.5 points, 13 kills and two solo blocks. Sarff also had a good day with 8.5 points on eight kills, and a blocking assist. The Spirit also got contributions from Logan Kuehn (two kills and 30 assists), Beatriz Paolinetti (16 digs, and 23 assists), Amey Rainuad (25 digs) and Raif with three service aces.
Up Next:
The Spirit will look to finish the week strong as they head on the road to play a match against GSAC opponent in Embry Riddle (12-11 OVR, 5-5 GSAC) on Saturday, October 26th at 2pm.
