By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
POST MATCH VIDEO
Toledo, Ohio---The No. 2 Owens Community College women's volleyball team lost its first set over nine matches in conference play, but bounced back to pick up a 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 win over Columbus State Community College in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) tonight.
The win gives Owens a 28-4 overall record, including a spotless 9-0 mark in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play. Columbus State entered the match as winners of six straight and four in straight sets, but fell to 11-7 overall and 7-4 in OCCAC play despite ending a streak of 26 consecutive sets won by Owens to open the conference season.
The first set saw the start of what would be big offensive matches for Erika Angstmann (St. Mary's Memorial/St. Mary's, Ohio) and Tyanna Smith (Bowling Green/Bowling Green, Ohio). Both players totaled five kills, while Christine Tylutki (Monroe/Monroe, Mich.) and Brooke Gyori (Clay/Oregon, Ohio) each picked up four digs.
In the set, Owens scored four of the first six points, capped by a pair of kills from Smith. Later, an overpass kill from Smith, which was her fourth kill of the set, put Owens up 13-8. Columbus State rallied and pulled within two at 14-12, but Owens finished the set on a 11-4 run. During that stretch, Angstmann produced three kills, and Devon Heitkamp (New Bremen/New Bremen, Ohio) had the set-winning kill from the middle.
Tylutki and Smith opened the second set with back-to-back stuff blocks, but the two teams split the set's first 10 points. Following that, though, Owens scored 10 of the next 13 points and eventually pushed its lead to 19-9 following a left side kill from Olivia Hermiller (Ottawa-Glandorf/Ottawa, Ohio), who tied her season-high with four kills in the match.
Following Hermiller's kill, though, Columbus State started to rally and pulled within four late. Owens won the set following an attack error from the visitors, but Columbus State continued to fight in the next set.
In that second set, Owens finished with 14 assisted blocks to help them get through a .071 team hitting percentage. Angstmann led the team with four kills in the set, while Gyori had eight digs. Tylutki and Carrigan Gray (Liberty-Benton/Findlay, Ohio) each added four assists.
Heitkamp opened the third set with her fourth kill, and Owens eventually led 16-9 following a right side kill from Tylutki. Smith's ninth kill gave Owens a 20-14 lead and forced a Columbus State timeout, and the vistors scored four of the next five points out of the timeout to trim its deficit to three.
A Columbus State serve landed out of bounds to give Owens a 23-20 lead, but the visitors rallied to score the final five points of the set to stay alive in the match.
Smith led Owens with four kills in the third set, while Niki Polce (Huron/New Boston, Mich.) totaled six digs to lead three players with at least five digs in the set.
Then, in the fourth set, the big hitters from Owens really came through. Annie Lindeman (Ottoville/Ottoville, Ohio) ended a streak of six consecutive points for Columbus State with a kill early. Ashley Pleiman (Fort Loramie/Fort Loramie, Ohio) picked up her third kill to knot the score at five.
Following a Columbus State kill, which gave them its final lead of the match at 6-5, Owens took control. Angstmann smashed home her 12th kill of the match, and Heitkamp followed with her fifth kill. Columbus State got a stuff block and pulled within 12-10, but Owens scored the next five points, and the rally was capped by a Smith-Pleiman block.
From there, the Owens lead never dipped below four before Lindeman knocked home her eighth kill to end the match.
Gyori totaled five of her team-high 22 digs in the fourth set. Polce finished second on the team with 11, while Gray, Tylutki and Angstmann each added nine apiece. Angstmann led the team with 13 kills, while hitting .550. Smith added 12 and hit .400. Lindeman (8), Heitkamp (6) and Pleiman (6) also came through offensively.
Tylutki (24) and Gray (19) produced 43 of the team's 50 assists, while Gyori added five of the remaining seven. Tylutki had a team-high four aces, including three straight early in the third set, while Angstmann chipped in three of her own.
As a team, Owens recorded a season-high 26 assisted blocks along with five solo blocks. The solo blocks came one apiece from five different players, while Heitkamp (7), Smith (6), Pleiman (5) and Tylutki (5) led the team in assisted blocks.
Next Up
Owens will be back in action tomorrow at 12 p.m. against St. Clair County Community College in the SHAC. They defeated St. Clair County in three sets on Oct. 1. Prior to the match, Owens will induct five individuals and one team into the hall of fame. It is the inaugural class, and former Owens volleyball player Stephanie Champine (2006-07) will be one of the five individuals.
Owens has now won four straight matches heading into tomorrow.