Story by NPCC Athletic Communication
Lincoln, Neb. – North Platte Community College volleyball closed out a three game road stretch with a 25-17, 25-16, 25-19 sweep of Southeast on Tuesday night.
Freshmen Makenna Stephenson and Khloee Wright powered the Knights with double digit kills. Stephenson closed the night with 11 kills and seven aces, while Wright finished with 10 kills.
North Platte hit an impressive .367 as a team, including a blistering .423 hitting percentage in the second set, where the Knights notched 13 kills on 26 attempts.
“I thought we struggled with serving at the beginning but did a good job cleaning that up,” said head coach Alexa McCall. “It was a good win that we needed.”
The Knights set the tone early in the first set, using a Stephenson kill to spark a 3-0 run and build a six-point lead. The Bobcats responded with a 5-0 surge of their own, but the Knights quickly regained control with an 8-1 run highlighted by three aces from Stephenson to take the first set.
Riding that momentum, the Knights jumped out to a commanding 14-4 lead in the second set. The Bobcats found some rhythm midway through the set, but a kill from Nya Lual put the Knights up 2-0.
Set three started as a back-and-forth battle, with the score knotted at 8-8. An ace from Zoe Maher shifted the momentum, and the Knights never trailed again. A late 6-2 run sparked by a Bobcat service error and kill from Taryn Stearns, helped secure the road sweep.
North Platte (10-14) returns to McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on Friday for a two game homestand beginning with Trinidad State College at 6 p.m.
North Platte will also host Otero Junior College on Saturday for a commemorative game. The athletic department will offer free admission to the game on Saturday.