Yellowjackets Complete Stunning Comeback in Five-Set Home Opener Victory

LAMONI, Iowa — What a thrilling night at the Morden Center. Graceland women's volleyball delivered a dramatic comeback in front of its home crowd, rallying from a two-set deficit to defeat Southwestern College in five sets, 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23, 15-10), in its home opener on Thursday night.

The Yellowjackets improve to 3-3 overall and 0-0 in Heart of America play, while Southwestern drops to 1-4 (0-0 KCAC).

After falling behind 0-2 to start the match, Graceland regrouped, reset, and responded with a gritty, high-energy performance that turned a slow start into a statement win.

"What a great response tonight," said head coach Stew McDole. "When our back is up against the wall, we've got fight left in us. That kind of win can really set the tone for your team moving forward."

The first two sets leaned in Southwestern's favor, as the Moundbuilders capitalized on Graceland miscues and held off late rallies to take the early lead. Graceland hit -.129 in the first frame and, despite a much cleaner second set, couldn't overcome Southwestern's balanced attack and fell 26-24.

"The bottom line is, based on the scores and match play, the teams are evenly matched," McDole said. "They had two outside hitters who weren't afraid to hit, and had uncanny success at times that caught us off guard. When that happens, the ball takes different bounces and changes your timing."

But the comeback began in set three. Led by junior Grace Jensen's 15 kills on a .257 attack percentage, the Jackets cleaned up their side of the net and began dictating play. Graceland edged out a 25-22 win to shift the match's momentum.

Set four was where the fireworks truly started. Graceland fell behind 0-9 to open the frame, but refused to go quietly. Service aces from Amelie Heinzmann and Shaeniah La Fountain, five combined kills from Jensen and senior Ella Thomas, and a pivotal service run from Allison Sander fueled a massive 25-14 swing to close the set 25-23.

"Serve-pass was the difference in the game," McDole added. "We did both better tonight — but not by much. It was razor thin. We also served really well; we had six aces in the fifth set."

The fifth set saw Graceland riding a wave of momentum. Behind the clutch play of Sander, who tallied seven aces on the night, and Kaci Young's 12 kills, the Jackets jumped out early and never let go. Graceland hit .375 in the final frame and closed out the match on a kill from Jenthe Van Kastel to win the set 15-10.

Stat Leaders — Graceland

• Grace Jensen: 15 kills (.257), 19 digs, 2 aces

• Kaci Young: 12 kills, 5 digs

• Allison Sander: 7 service aces, 4 digs, 9 assists

• Ella Thomas: 7 kills

• Shaeniah La Fountain: 11 digs, 1 ace

• Amelie Heinzmann: 14 assists, 3 service aces

• Kaylee Baker: 5 kills, 3 solo blocks

As a team, Graceland recorded 18 service aces and 61 digs, holding Southwestern to a .084 attack percentage. The Yellowjackets registered 48 total kills and 6 solo blocks across the five-set thriller.

Southwestern was led by Mikki Johnson (11 kills, .267) and Autumn Bennett (11 kills, .217), but the Moundbuilders' attack faltered late, hitting .000 in both the third and fifth sets.

"We probably deserved to win set two and didn't, then we probably should've lost the fourth and didn't," McDole noted. "That's a great message for our players. There's still so much fight in this group."

Graceland now stands at 3-3 overall (0-0 Heart), while Southwestern falls to 1-4 (0-0 KCAC).

Next, Graceland heads to the William Penn Tournament at the Penn Activity Center in Oskaloosa, Iowa, beginning Friday, August 30. Match times and opponents will be announced.

For more information on Graceland women's volleyball and all Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.