The Keiser volleyball team completed Day 2 of the Cumberlands Invite, finishing the tournament with an undefeated record. The Seahawks defeated the Rams of Bluefield (Va.) (3-0; 25-15, 25-20, 25-19) and the Crusaders of William Carey (3-0; 25-13, 25-12, 25-14). In the evening, Keiser travelled to Athens, Tenn., to take on the Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan, where the Seahawks continued their clean sweep streak by defeating the Bulldogs in three sets (25-12, 25-21, 25-22).
The Seahawks finished Saturday with a .272 hitting percentage, totaling 128 kills. Outside hitter Mackenzie Pryor led the way recording 51 kills (5.67 per set) and contributing 27 digs defensively. Keiser had six players who recorded 10 or more kills across the three matches. The other half of the dynamic duo, Hannah Heide, recorded 72 assists and 14 kills. Defensively, Keiser held their opponents to a .065 hitting percentage over the three matches, with Isabella Steffel racking up nine blocks.
Cumberlands Invite
UC Volleyball Gym, Williamsburg, Ky.
August 30-31, 2024
Day Two Results
Saturday, August 31
Keiser 3, Bluefield (Va.) 0
Keiser 3, William Carey 0
Tennessee Wesleyan Match
Keiser 3, Tennessee Wesleyan 0
Match Score: Keiser Seahawks 3, Bluefield Rams 0
Set Scores: (25-15, 25-20, 25-19)
Location: UC Volleyball Gym (Williamsburg, Ky.)
Records: Keiser Seahawks (12-2), Bluefield Rams (3-4)
SET 1 (KU, 25-15)
- The Seahawks started strong, going up 5-0 against the Rams, with Faith Marquis recording two service aces
- With kills from Isabella Steffel and Mackenzie Pryor, Keiser extended their lead to 9-3
- The Rams closed the gap to one point with a four-point run (9-8)
- Marquis recorded three consecutive service aces, and kills from Hannah Heide and Aby Tibesar gave the Seahawks a 17-10 advantage
- Pryor added two more aces, pushing Keiser's lead to 23-15
- Aby Tibesar's service ace secured the victory in set one
SET 2 (KU, 25-20)
- A kill by Marquis gave Keiser an early 4-1 lead
- Lester recorded back-to-back service aces, extending Keiser's advantage to 11-6
- Bluefield responded with a four-point run, narrowing the gap to 12-10
- The Seahawks answered with a four-point run of their own, forcing the Rams to take a timeout at 21-15
- Bluefield edged closer due to two attack errors by Keiser
- The Seahawks sealed set two with an attack error by the Rams
SET 3 (KU, 25-19)
- A block assist from Tibesar and Heide gave the Seahawks a 4-0 lead
- Heide's second block of the afternoon, assisted by Steffel, extended the advantage to 10-5
- The Rams tied the game at 13 with a service ace
- The Seahawks regained the lead with a solo block from Steffel, making it 16-14
- A service ace from Heide brought Keiser's lead to 24-18
- The sweep of the Rams was completed with an attack error
Match Score: Keiser Seahawks 3, William Carey Crusaders 0
Set Scores: (25-13, 25-12, 25-14)
Location: UC Volleyball Gym (Williamsburg, Ky.)
Records: Keiser Seahawks (13-2), William Carey Crusaders (7-4)
SET 1 (KU, 25-13)
- Keiser jumped to a 7-0 lead after a kill from Hannah Heide, forcing William Carey to take a timeout
- The Seahawks extended their lead to 13-5 with a block by Silva and Steffel
- Silva served up an ace, increasing the advantage to 17-8
- Back-to-back kills from Mackenzie Pryor extended the lead to 22-12
- The final kill of set one came from Pryor, securing a decisive victory
SET 2 (KU, 25-12)
- Set two began closely, with a block by Aby Tibesar giving Keiser a 5-3 lead
- Service errors from both Keiser and William Carey left the score at 10-9
- A 12-point run by Keiser, featuring kills from Tibesar and Pryor, dramatically increased their lead to 21-9
- Emma Friese notched a kill, pushing the score to 24-12
- An attack error from the Crusaders ended set two in Keiser's favor
SET 3 (KU, 25-14)
- A block from William Carey tied set three at 5-5
- Keiser regained the lead with a kill from Silva, making it 7-5
- The set was tied again at 11 after a service ace from the Crusaders
- A four-point run by Keiser forced William Carey to take a timeout at 15-11
- Faith Marquis recorded two service aces, extending the Seahawks' lead to 21-12
- Once again, the Seahawks completed the sweep with an attack error from the Crusaders
Match Score: Keiser Seahawks 3, Tennessee Wesleyan 0
Set Scores: (25-12,
25-21,25-22)
Location: James L. Robb Gymnasium (Athens, Tenn.)
Records: Keiser Seahawks (14-2), Tennessee Wesleyan (1-7)
SET 1 (KU, 25-12)
- Keiser opened the scoring with a kill from Mackenzie Pryor
- Faith Marquis extended the Seahawks' lead to 3-0 with a service ace
- After another Pryor kill and a four-point run by the Seahawks, the Bulldogs took a timeout at 15-9
- Keiser went up by 10 with a service ace from Pryor, making it 20-10
- Emma Friese delivered the final kill to secure set one
SET 2 (KU, 25-21)
- Set two was closely contested, with the score remaining within two points for much of the set
- Keiser took a 13-10 lead with a kill from Aby Tibesar, forcing the Bulldogs to take a timeout
- A Pryor kill extended the Seahawks' lead to 21-14
- The set tightened up when the Bulldogs closed the gap to 23-21, prompting Keiser to take a timeout
- An attack error by Tennessee Wesleyan ended set two in favor of Keiser
SET 3 (KU, 25-22)
- Keiser started strong in set three, taking a 6-2 lead with a kill from Pryor
- The Bulldogs responded with a three-point run to tie the set
- Katelyn Baxley notched her first kill of the day, giving the Seahawks an 18-14 advantage
- A block by Isabella Steffel and Payton Eckert extended Keiser's lead to 20-15, leading to a timeout by the Bulldogs
- The Seahawks took a timeout when the Bulldogs closed the gap to 23-22
- A kill from Hannah Heide ended set three, ensuring a perfect weekend for the Seahawks
- The Seahawks finished Saturday with a .272 hitting percentage, totaling 128 kills
- Defensively, Keiser held opponents to a .065 hitting percentage over the three matches
- The Seahawks ended the tournament with 170 total digs (18.89 per set) and 111 total assists (12.33 per set)
- Outside hitter Mackenzie Pryor led all Seahawks with 51 kills across nine sets (5.67 per set)
- Setter Hannah Heide contributed 72 assists on Saturday, averaging 8.00 per set, while also recording 14 kills
- Freshman setter Amie Molina achieved a season-high of 10 assists against Tennessee Wesleyan, and Ashley Strefling added nine assists, also marking a season-high
- Six Seahawks recorded double-digit kills during Saturday's action
- Faith Marquis served up nine aces, and Isabella Steffel totaled nine blocks.
- Keiser improved to a 14-2 record, remaining undefeated on the road with a perfect 9-0 record
- The Seahawks did not drop any sets over the weekend, continuing their streak of winning every set in their last seven matches.
- Keiser also secured a victory against first-time opponents Bluefield (Va.).
- The Seahawks averaged 5.7 blocks per match
- Seven different players recorded service aces, averaging 3.00 aces per set.
The Seahawks begin Sun Conference play this Saturday, Sept. 7th in Lake Wales, Fla. with Warner. The match is set for 2:00 PM.
Get the latest information on the team by following @kuseahawks_vb on Instagram and @keiservb on X.
General athletic news can be found at KUSeahawks on Facebook, @kuseahawks on Instagram, and @kuseahawks on X.
