Jonesboro Times

Pioneers Fall in Opening Match- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 10/7/22

Crowley's Ridge College kicked off its busy weekend at 5:00pm this evening by hosting the fighting Indians of Haskell University and the Falcons of Florida College to kick off the 2022-23 CAC Classic tournament. The Pioneers hit the floor at the 7:00pm window to square up against the Tigers of Iowa Wesleyan University in the second matchup of the Classic. Crowly's Ridge College would win the first set but would drop three consecutive falling to Iowa Wesleyan. Sets went as follows: 25-23 CRC, 16-25 IW, 22-25 IW, 19-25 IW.

Set one, the Pioneers started the match off on the right foot. The 'Neers grabbed 4 quick points with the help of a few Tiger errors. This would not last long as the Tigers would get their chance to step behind the service line after they put an end to the CRC run with a kill. They then rallied 5 consecutive points of their own, retaking the lead 5-4. So. Alexis Weirich and Jr. Hannah Halverson would step up and go back to back with kills to once again put green and black on top 6-5. This would be the theme for the set, as both teams would seem to lose and then retake the lead from one another. About midway through the set with the score tied 16-16, a long volley started. Jr. Heather Conaway would step up for the CRC defense and grab 5 digs in the single volley. Conaway's defense would allow So. Jadyn Hesse to set up So. Paige Glenn for success. Glenn would hit her target winning the point and the monumentum for the Pioneers with her kill. CRC would go on a 6-1 run before the Tigers would fight back. Before they could retake the lead, So. Hesse would end their efforts with a kill. Pioneers win set one 25-23.

Set two, Iowa Wesleyan would jump ahead of the Lady Pioneers quickly. CRC would call a timeout after finding themselves trailing 2-7. When play resumed Crowley's Ridge would rally with back to back kills by So. Paige Glenn and Jr. Emi Elms but it wouldn't be enough. Iowa Wesleyan kept the attack going and would put up their second big run of the set. This one ended after the Tigers forced 6 points on the CRC defense. Now down 13-5, Jr. Hannah Halverson would muster a kill to try her turn to sway the odds. Her efforts wouldn't alter the outcome and the Tigers would take set two 25-16.

Set three, CRC would again lead the Tigers early on by leaping ahead with a score of 9-3 before forcing Iowa Wesleyan to call a timeout. When play resumed Jr. Brooklynn Passmore would continue her attack, finding 4 kills in this set. Though the Tigers were not shaken as they found a way to tie the game 13-13. The Pioneer defense would dig deep and try to slow the Tiger attack with Fr. Kinley Matlock leading the way. Matlock would add 11 digs to her total on the night in this set. But the Tigers would find a way to take the lead pounding out a 5-1 run late in the set. Even with the effort from the CRC back row, they would fall in a thriller set 22-25. .

Set four, the Tiger attack would post their highest kill set of the night with a team effort of 14 kills.Knowing this was a do or die set the Pioneers left everything on the court. CRC rallied their best kill set of the night by matching Iowa Wesleyan with 14 kills of their own. Jr. Brooklynn Passmore claimed four of these. Going point for point with the Tigers, this time Jr. Hannah Halverson would lead the way in digs gathering 9 in this set. Even with this effort the Tigers slipped past the Pioneers 25-19, defeating CRC 3 sets to 1.

Leaders:

Jr. Brooklyn Passmore led the Pioneers in kills (10). So. Jadyn Hesse led the Pioneers in assists (34). Fr. Kinley Matlock led in digs (28), followed by Jr. Hannah Halverson (21),Jr. Heather Conaway (16), So. Jadyn Hesse (15), Fr. Holly Berry (10).

Jadyn Hesse ended with a double double in assist and digs. 5 Pioneers ended with double digits in digs, 4 of which were season high's (Matlock, Halverson, Conaway, Hesse). Passmore ended with season high in kills as well.

Original source can be found here.