No. 9 Colby Falls in Four Sets to Seward County in Conference Battle

LIBERAL, Kan. – The No. 9 Colby Community College volleyball team came out strong Wednesday (Oct. 15) night but fell in four tightly contested sets to Seward County, 3-1, marking their first conference loss of the season. The Trojans now sit at 11-1 in KJCCC play.

Colby started hot in set one, erasing an early deficit with a 3-0 run capped by a service ace from Karlotta Kattai to tie the score 3-3. The Trojans' offense found rhythm behind Isabella Byrd's ace to make it 6-5, and Sameera Moon entered the lineup with instant impact, delivering a kill that sparked a five-point surge for a 12-10 lead. Moon added another kill at 18-13 before Amanda Caputi hammered home a key point at the net to force a Seward timeout. The Trojans closed the set in dominant fashion, sealing it 25-17 with a block assist from Chiara Binda and Caputi.

Set two saw momentum swing back and forth. Seward took an early 10-8 lead before Kattai answered with a kill to make it 10-9. The Trojans battled back from a mid-set deficit, stringing together four straight points to close within 17-15. A late push put Colby in front 22-21 after another Kattai strike, but Seward managed to claw back and take the set 27-25, evening the match at one apiece.

Colby again came out firing in set three, fueled by Lena Mihaljica, who tallied two quick kills to open a 3-1 lead. A big block from Isadora Carrareto and Caputi extended the advantage to 9-4, and Caputi's well-timed dump kill made it 12-10. The Lady Saints responded with a run to take a 16-13 edge, but Colby continued to fight. Down 22-18, Kattai ripped a kill to close the gap, followed by two Seward attack errors that made it 21-22. After a Seward timeout, the Saints held on despite another late Trojans rally, taking the set 25-23.

In the fourth, Colby battled to keep things close, but Seward's late offense proved too much as the Lady Saints secured the final set 25-18 to close out the match.

The Trojans look to bounce back on Saturday (Oct. 18) when they travel to Dodge City to face the Conquistadors in another key conference matchup.