WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Looking to build on their momentum from the first day of the Peggy Martin Challenge, the University of Mary Volleyball team took on the University of Central Missouri and Western State Colorado University on the final day of the challenge.
 
The Marauders (1-3) hand their hands full as they fell in straight sets to Central Missouri (4-0) before dropping the second match to Western State (2-3) in four sets.
 
The Jennies jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they built an 8-3 lead over U-Mary in the first set of the first match. The Marauders were able to stem the attack but Central Missouri never let the score come within four points as they took the first set 25-14.
 
The second set wasn't much different as the Jennies scored 14 of the first 16 points to put the Marauders in a huge hole that they couldn't climb out of and eventually took the set 25-9.
 
U-Mary appeared to get the offense going as they kept the score at 4-3 in favor of Central Missouri early in the third set, but a six-point Jennie run gave Central Missouri a 10-3 lead. The Marauders fought back and narrowed Central Missouri's lead to 14-11 off an 8-3 run but the Jennies would match that pace en route to a 25-17 third set victory.
 
Lauren Randall led the offensive effort with seven kills on 20 attacks to go with her three digs and one block assist.
 
Katelyn Olson got the start again as the primary setter as she recorded 17 assists in the match.
 
Alex Brown did what she could on the defensive end with 12 digs but the Jennies' .400 attack percentage was too hot to handle.
 
The second match of the day pitted the Marauders against Western State and the Mountaineers pressed the early advantage in the first set with a handful of runs to get to a 9-4 lead early in the set.
 
U-Mary dug tooth and nail to get back into it but the Mountaineers wouldn't let up as they kept the Marauders at a safe distance en route to a 25-16 first set win.
 
The Marauders turned the tide in the second set as they built a comfortable 9-3 lead in the early goings only to carry that advantage to a 20-13 lead highlighted by some Thayna Silva and Lauren Randall kills. Randall put the finishing touches on the convincing 25-16 second set win with a kill to secure the set point.
 
Both team fought back and forth in the third set with neither building a lead of greater than three points, but the set came to a critical juncture with U-Mary holding a 16-13 lead before the Mountaineers fired off five straight points to retake the lead at 18-16. After trading back and forth some more, the Marauders faced a 21-19 deficit late in the set and rattled off four quick points from two Randall kills, a Geovana Almeida service ace, and a Mountaineer attack error to swing the score back in favor of U-Mary at 23-21.
 
Unfortunately the Mountaineers wouldn't go away quietly as they tied the set up at 23-23 and again at 24-24 with U-Mary owning the set point. Western State pressed the lead at 26-25 before Silva notched the tying point at 26-26, but the Mountaineers secure the third set with a kill followed by a Marauder attack error to take a 2-1 set lead in the match.
 
The fourth set was eerily similar with both teams trading blows once again, although U-Mary held the lead through the midpoint of the set at 13-11, but Western State recorded five of the next six points to swing the lead back into their favor at 16-14. The Marauders tied the set at 18-18 before retaking the lead at 19-18, but the Mountaineers found a groove as they scored six unanswered points to put U-Mary on the brink at 24-19. The Marauders had one last effort in them as Freddie Campbell got the kill followed by a team block from Silva and Paige Smith, but Western State quickly shut the door on U-Mary with a kill of their own to close out the set and match at 25-21.
 
Randall and Silva continued to provide the offensive output with Randall recording 12 kills and 11 digs while Silva finished with 11 kills and five digs.
 
Janell Finkbeiner started as the primary setter as she finished with 36 assists and Brown did what she does best with 18 digs in the match while also recording five service aces.
 
The Marauders will return home on Tuesday, September 8, for their home opener against Dickinson State University at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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