The Hitchcock-Tulare Patriots used aggressive serving and a balanced offensive attack to defeat the Sunshine Bible Academy Crusaders 3-1 Tuesday night in a 281 Conference volleyball matchup. The Patriots won by set scores of 25-6, 24-26, 25-13, and 25-14, improving to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Hitchcock-Tulare came out roaring in the opening set behind strong serving from Kaylie LaBrie. The Patriots quickly took control and rolled to a commanding 25-6 victory.
The second set proved to be a different story. Several Patriot errors opened the door for the Crusaders, who edged Hitchcock-Tulare 26-24 to even the match at one set apiece.
The Patriots regrouped in the third set, returning to the aggressive serving and hitting that fueled their strong start. Hitchcock-Tulare carried that momentum through the remainder of the match, taking the final two sets 25-13 and 25-14 to secure the conference victory.
Emmerie Arthurs led the Patriot offense with 16 kills. Keilee Schone and Tess Bixler each added 10 kills, while Laina Puffer finished with nine. Brynn Binger directed the attack with 40 assists.
Olivia Knox paced the back-row defense with 17 digs. LaBrie and Arthurs each recorded 16 digs, followed by Binger with 15. At the net, Schone tallied six block assists, while Arthurs added three.
The Patriots will return to action Saturday at the 281 Conference Tournament in Wessington Springs. Fourth-seeded Hitchcock-Tulare will face fifth-seeded tournament host Wessington Springs at 10:00 a.m.