By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
The Northwestern volleyball team played two competitive games against Southeastern and Fort Hays.
The Rangers opened up conference play Sept. 14 against Southeastern Oklahoma State in a competitive matchup.
Last time both teams met, the Rangers won in a postseason playoff game in Alva, with a match score of 3-2.
“They were good last year,” said head coach Fred Aubuchon. “We barely beat them here last season in a five-set playoff match.”
Aubuchon said Southeastern returned all of its primary players from last season, which in turn makes it one of the older teams in the conference.
The match would open up the first set with dominant performances by the Rangers. Kaydee Honeycutt started it off with a kill shot, putting the team up 1-0 and cruising for most of the set with a score of 25-8 to take set one.
Southeastern would adjust and take the next two sets, with the second set going back and forth and the third set with scores of 25-18 and 25-16, respectively.
The Rangers responded with a 25-22 win, with Honeycutt and Madison Dehlinger being the standouts in holding off the opposition.
In the final set, the Rangers came up short after tying it. The team got down early and did not respond fast enough, losing 15-9, with the match result of 3-2 Southeastern.
Kaydee Honeycutt had 16 kill shots, and Addison Wimmer had 13 as the standouts of the game.
“It felt like we had to make changes that did not exist,” Aubuchon said in regards to the final set. “We had the right team on the floor, and we just couldn’t get the points we needed.”
Despite the loss, the Rangers turned their attention to Fort Hays State University. Fort Hays played back-to-back matches against conference opponents on Friday and Saturday before playing Northwestern on Sunday.
Northwestern and Fort Hays were competitive in all four sets. Fort Hays won the match 3-1, winning the first two sets 25-23 and 25-20, respectively.
The Rangers took the next set 25-22, but lost the following one 25-23.
Wimmer had 19 kills; Honeycutt had 12; and Courtney Russel had six. Abby Davis and Abigail Burns had 25 and 18 assists, respectively.
Northwestern’s next game will be Sept. 24 when the team plays No. 18-ranked Oklahoma Baptist University.
The last two meetings between them were competitive, with the Rangers losing both times.