By Tabor College Athletics
MARSHALL, Mo. (TaborBluejays.com) – Adam Brewster officially opened his head-coaching career Friday evening at the Viking Invitational in Marshall, Mo. Brewster led Bluejay Volleyball into their first official matches of the 2024 campaign, taking on two squads from the Heart of America Athletic Conference in Missouri Valley and Graceland.
Match One vs Missouri Valley: L 2-3 (25-23, 17-25, 23-25, 25-23, 10-15)
Coach Brewster and his squad kicked off the Viking Invitational by taking on the host school, a tough Missouri Valley squad. The match featured just about everything one would hope of a competitive contest, starting with a back-and-forth first set.
Neither team ever led by more than three points in the first set, with the Bluejays scoring three unanswered points to win the set, 25-23. A service ace by Naera Tschus, along with a kill and a block by Liana McGonigle sealed the deal to give Tabor the advantage going into set two.
Missouri Valley drew the first blood in set two, scoring two quick points before the Bluejays got on the board courtesy of an attack error on the Vikings and a kill by Brindelyn Schneider. The Vikings led by as many as eight points in the second set, tying up the game by taking Set Two, 17-25.
Set Three was reminiscent of the first set, with both teams exchanging the lead multiple times throughout the set. The Lady Bluejays got on the board first thanks to a ball handling error on the Vikings off the serve from Josephine Fuamatu. The Vikings led by as many as four points, owning the largest lead of the set. Tabor ultimately fell in Set Three, 23-25.
The Bluejays opened Set Four with two straight points before the Vikings answered back with three points of their own. Following a short back and forth, the Bluejays rattled off six points to take a four-point lead, courtesy of kills by Juliana Alaniz, Breonna Smith, and Sammie Saunders, as well as two Viking errors. Both squads continued to fight and trade points, until a service error on Missouri Valley and a service ace from Fuamatu sealed the set to send the match to a fifth and final set, 25-23.
Missouri Valley roared back in Set Five to give the Bluejays their first loss of the season. Saunders (12), Alaniz (8), and McGonigle (6) led Tabor in kills, while Tschus (3) and Fuamatu (2) led the Bluejays in service aces. Schneider (5) and McGonigle (4) led the team in blocks. Mia Maly finished with a team-high 18 assists, followed by Kiana Unruh (8), and Cocone Matsuzawa (6). Saunders led the team with 16 digs, followed by Tschus (11), and Macy Rowan (10).
Match Two vs Graceland: W 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-19)
The Lady Bluejays took the opportunity to bounce back in their final match of the evening, taking on the Yellowjackets of Graceland. The Bluejays and the Yellowjackets both entered the match with an 0-1 record, with Graceland falling in a contest with St. Ambrose at home on Thursday.
Both teams would go back and forth early in the first set, until Tabor went on a three-point run, starting with a Yellowjacket service error and a kill by Breonna Smith and a service ace by Miranda Aguilar. The Bluejays closed out Set One with an attack error by Graceland and a kill by Smith.
Graceland got out to a hot start in Set Two, scoring two straight points before a kill by Brindelyn Schneider put the Bluejays on the board. Tabor later went on a five-point run to take an 11-9 lead, courtesy of two Yellowjacket errors, a Bluejay service ace, and kills by Carolina Goncalves and Juliana Alaniz. Just when it looked like Graceland would take Set Two after holding a 24-20 lead, Tabor stormed back, scoring six straight to notch a two-set lead, thanks to three Yellowjacket errors, along with two service aces by Alaniz and a kill by Liana McGonigle.
Tabor opened Set Three with two straight points off Graceland attack errors. The Yellowjackets built a five-point lead, 16-11, before the Lady Bluejays rattled off six points of their own to take a 17-16 lead. The Bluejays scored four unanswered points to take set three and earn Head Coach Adam Brewster his first career win. Alaniz led the team in kills with seven, while McGonigle and Smith followed with six and five respectively. Aguilar and Alaniz led Tabor in service aces, with Aguilar tallying four and Alaniz notching two. Alaniz (11) led the team with 11 assists, while Kiana Unruh (9) and Naera Tschus (4) followed.
“I am hoping that tonight, good lessons were learned after a tough loss and a nice win”, remarked Head Coach Adam Brewster. “The girls had a lot of good moments, and everyone contributed at some point.”
“We have a good group. My focus now is finding out who in this group is going to take us to the next level.”
