PARKVILLE, Mo. – Park University made history, Saturday afternoon at Breckon Sports Center in Parkville, Missouri, as both of its varsity volleyball teams squared off on the court for the first time in school history, a three-set win for the defending NAIA national champion Pirates over the Park University Gilbert Buccaneers, a match that followed a three-set victory for the Bucs over a veteran team from Lyon College to begin the day.
"We showed a lot this weekend, and we made a lot of strides in the right direction," said first-year head coach Clay Webb. "We have a lot to build on, but I really like our team. To come in here and go 2-2 against the teams Park had in this tournament is a big deal for our program."
The Buccaneers (3-2) put up 16 points in all three sets against the Pirates, shortly after a dramatic three-set win over the Pirates' AMC rival Lyon Scots. Park U Gilbert was dominant in the first two sets against Lyon, beating the Scots 25-20, 25-21, and in the third, the Bucs showed grit and composure at the same time, leading by five before falling behind by as many as six on the way to a 27-25 win.
Lyon (0-2) led 18-12 on a kill by Maggee Hobson, but back-to-back late service aces from Autumn Wood put the Buccaneers up 22-21, and Sabrina Garces put the match away on the final play of the match, a kill to win 27-25.
Wood had 12 kills against the Scots, while Kayla Wieserman and Asha Harris each followed with nine. Wood added a double-double with 11 digs against Lyon, and against Park, she added nine kills with 11 digs, a defensive total matched by Jenifer Lauer, who had a double-figure setting performance against Lyon with 20 assists.
The Buccaneers are in action six times, next week, beginning Tuesday evening in the first installment of an East Valley rivalry with Benedictine University at Mesa. The Buccaneers and Redhawks will play a reserve-varsity doubleheader, with the reserve match beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity teams at 7. Over Labor Day Weekend, the Bucs will participate in the ACU Firestorm Invitational, taking on Dakota State (S.D.), Montana State-Northern, Arizona Christian, and SAGU-American Indian.
Sunday, Sept. 1, the Buccaneers return home to host Montana State-Northern on the Buccaneer Sports Network at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/parkbuccaneers. First serve is set for noon at The Nest.
