Panthers lose against Coyotes in straight sets

SALINA, Kan. - The York University volleyball team lost a 3-0 decision at Kansas Wesleyan Wednesday evening.

Set scores were 25-15, 25-17, 25-19.

The Panthers are now 19-13 on the year, including 5-7 in KCAC action.

Head coach Irick Gardner's team was led by Kaylee Weigel's 10-kill effort. Kenna Tarnowski, Emma Kerley and Jai Dotson had four kills apiece while Aubrey Bostick and Brianna Lemke tallied two kills apiece. Liberty Baker and Avery Schneider each had a kill.

Mariah Janda dished out 14 assists while Kensey Clifton posted 11 assists.

Defensively, Cassie Richardson contributed 10 digs while Ambar Ortiz garnered eight digs.

Down 21-12 in the second stanza, Weigel hammered home a pass from Janda, sparking a 4-0 spurt. After two errors by KWU, Tarnowski added a kill to make it 21-16. However, the home team went on a 4-1 run to claim the set.

Trailing 11-5 in the third frame, an error gave the side-out back to York. Weigel took a pass from Clifton and slammed down a kill. Kerley added a point as did Dotson, making it a two-point contest.

With the score at 17-11, a service error by the home team sparked a run by York. Amanda Macias served up an ace before Lemke found the court for a point. At 18-14, Lemke posted a kill. Clifton sliced the defense with an ace before Janda and Tarnowski combined for a block, pulling the Panthers within one at 18-17.

The Panthers return to action Saturday when they close the regular season at Ottawa at 5 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com .

Assistant Sports Editor