Columbia, Mo. - The No. 18 Central Methodist Volleyball program came away with a 1-1 record at the Columbia College triangular Monday evening in Columbia, Mo.
The tri featured No. 18 CMU, No. 25 Columbia College, and (RV) Ottawa University.
Central got revenge for an earlier defeat in the season against the Braves, sweeping Ottawa by scores of 25-20, 25-17, and 25-15 in their first match of the day.
The Eagles then fell in a five-set thriller against the Cougars by scores of 19-25, 28-26, 21-25, 25-20 and 15-17.
Against the Braves, Central had one of the best offensive outputs of the season, hitting .356 as a unit. Central's lineup featured five different Eagles that registered at least seven kills.
Martina Gonzato led the Eagles with nine kills on 19 swings, followed by Gimena Dezeo, who tallied eight kills for a .412 hitting percentage. The trio of Annabelle Maassen, Joana Milho, and Mia Trankler each finished the match with seven kills.
Maassen, a super senior from Jefferson City, nearly recorded a double double with nine digs. She also finished with three service aces, a block, and an assist for good measure.
The setting duo of Gabi Owczarek and Giulia Gainelli both dished out 19 assists, while Gainelli tallied 12 digs to record a double-double.
Senior libero Rita Campos led the defense with 13 digs while Trankler recorded five blocks. The defense was just as potent as the offense, as eight different Eagles recorded a block.
The highlight of the match came on the final point of set two, as Central's defense blocked back three consecutive Braves' attacks before Milho and Trankler downed the final attempt for the win in set two.
Against the Cougars, Maassen recorded her sixth double-digit kill performance of the year, leading the Eagles with 15 kills. She also tallied 13 digs for a double-double in addition to a block and an assist. Milho followed with 14 kills and nine digs while freshman middle blocker Kyndra Collier registered seven kills and five blocks.
Owczarek and Gainelli both finished with double doubles, as Owczarek recorded 26 assists and 12 digs, while Gainelli added 21 assists and 18 digs.
Campos finished the match with 28 digs and a service ace.
Central now stands at 15-4 overall. They return to conference action when they travel to Olathe, Kansas to take on MidAmerica Nazarene University Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m.
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