Success on Day Two of Pizza Hut Invitational
Sept. 15, 2018, Sterling, Colo.— Day Two of the Pizza Hut Invitational started early for the Plainswomen as their first game began at 10 a.m. It was a quick turnaround after a 10:30 p.m finish the night before, but the ladies were ready to face the Northeast Hawks.
The Plainswomen jumped ahead of the Hawks by taking the 5-2, but the Hawks never let Northeastern get too far ahead and kept it within a three-point game. Although they were never able to pull away, the Plainswomen eventually won the set 25-22. That set proved the ladies were awake and ready for competition.
The second set was no different in the point-scoring department for the Plainswomen as they defeated the Hawks 25-21. The third set stayed a tight game as both teams exchanged points, but Northeastern always kept one step ahead of the Hawks. The Plainswomen led 8-4, but the Hawks made a little run and brought it to a 9-8 game. Once the ladies regrouped, they put away the Hawks and finished the set with a score of 25-19, defeating them in three.
Game leaders for the match:
Sofija Pajevic - 40 assists, 15 digs
Kacey Jaeger - 11 kills, 7 digs
Ashlyn Martinez - 9 kills, 2 blocks
Julia Gutierrez Mas - 8 kills, 17 digs
MacKenzie Wells - 10 digs
On the fourth and final game of the invite, the Plainswomen played the Western Wyoming Mustangs. The ladies tried to keep the two-day blues from striking them, so they kept moving around and trying to stay fresh. As the game began, the Plainswomen dominated before the Mustangs got in a groove of their own. Western made a run and brought that game back within three at the end making it 24-21, but Northeastern locked in and won the last point, getting set one 25-21.
The blues looked as if they might be slowly creeping up on the Plainswomen, so they needed to find a way to keep them at bay. Although they tried, they found a way to temporarily hit them and the Mustangs took the lead 10-7. A few kills by Kacey Jaeger and Taylor Burns seemed to be the antidote as it revived the Plainswomen, and they came back to take the 14-13 lead. The set progressed and ended with Northeastern winning 25-22.
In the third set, the Mustangs found another gear and took an early lead. Western was finding the open spots against Northeastern, and started to separate themselves, taking the 12-7 lead. The Plainswomen adjusted and tied it up 15-15 before taking the lead. Northeastern earned a few points in a row before Western took a timeout with the score reading 20-17. The timeout did not cool down the Plainswomen as they soared to a 25-22 victory.
Game leaders for the match:
Kacey Jaeger - 12 kills, 5 digs
Julia Gutierrez Mas - 7 kills, 11 digs, 1 ace
Sara Antic - 8 kills, 10 digs, 1 ace
Sofija Pajevic - 47 assists, 10 digs, 1 ace
MacKenzie Wells - 24 digs
Taylor Burns - 9 kills
Ashlyn Martinez - 8 kills