HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College volleyball team finished with a 3-1 record at the Continental Athletic Conference Classic, held Oct. 8-10 at the Yost Center. After dropping their opening match to Florida College, the Larks responded with three consecutive victories over Carolina University, Florida National University and Fisher College.

The weekend featured two five-set victories, including a reverse sweep against Florida National, as Hesston improved to 12-9 overall.

Florida College 3, Hesston College 1

The Larks opened tournament play against Florida College, falling in four sets, 19-25, 15-25, 25-23, 16-25.

Florida College took control early, winning the opening set 25-19 before building on its momentum in the second. The Falcons recorded 15 kills on a .275 hitting percentage to take the second set 25-15 and put Hesston in a two-set deficit.

Hesston responded in the third, battling through a tightly contested set that featured 11 ties and six lead changes. The Larks held Florida College to a .053 hitting percentage and came away with a 25-23 victory to extend the match.

The Falcons regained control in the fourth, recording 15 kills and hitting .209 to secure the 25-16 victory and close out the match.

Kennedie Esparza led Hesston with 11 kills on a .212 hitting percentage while also recording a team-high 27 digs. Lydia Foster and Jacee Ray each contributed six kills, with Ray adding three block assists.

Delayna Kerry finished with four kills, 11 assists and 12 digs, while Rebekah Blackmer added 14 assists and three service aces. Sarahi Paez anchored the defense with 20 digs.

Hesston finished with 31 kills and 83 digs, while Florida College recorded 56 kills and 89 digs.

Hesston College 3, Carolina University 2

The Larks bounced back in their second match of the day, defeating Carolina University in five sets, 22-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-23, 15-13.

Carolina took the opening set 25-22, but Hesston responded with one of its strongest offensive performances of the tournament in the second. The Larks recorded 20 kills with just three errors on 33 attempts, hitting an impressive .515 to take the set 25-21 and even the match.

The Bruins regained the advantage in the third, limiting Hesston to a negative hitting percentage and pulling away for a 25-15 victory.

Facing a 2-1 deficit, the Larks responded in the fourth. Hesston recorded 14 kills on a .238 hitting percentage, battling through four ties and three lead changes before earning a narrow 25-23 win to force a deciding fifth set.

The final set was another close battle, featuring five ties and two lead changes. Hesston recorded seven kills with just two errors and hit .263 to edge Carolina 15-13 and complete the comeback.

Esparza led the Hesston offense with 14 kills and added 15 digs and two service aces. Foster contributed 10 kills on a .267 hitting percentage, while Layla Romero added eight kills and hit .368. Trinity Griffin and Ray each finished with eight kills.

Kerry recorded a team-high 26 assists and 15 digs, while Blackmer contributed 20 assists, four service aces and nine digs. Paez led the defensive effort with 29 digs and added eight assists.

The Larks finished with 61 kills, 55 assists, eight service aces and 85 digs in the five-set victory.

Hesston College 3, Florida National University 2

Hesston opened Saturday with another five-set battle, overcoming a two-set deficit to defeat Florida National University, 17-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-17, 15-13.

Florida National controlled the opening two sets, hitting .258 in the first and .208 in the second. The Conquistadors recorded 28 combined kills across those sets to build a 2-0 advantage.

The Larks began their comeback in the third, turning in a much more efficient offensive performance. Hesston recorded 13 kills with just two errors on 36 attempts, hitting .306 to take the set 25-16.

Hesston carried that momentum into the fourth, producing its strongest offensive set of the match. The Larks recorded 16 kills with just three errors on 36 attempts, hitting .361 while holding Florida National to a .054 hitting percentage. The 25-17 victory evened the match at two sets apiece.

In the deciding fifth set, Hesston recorded nine kills and held Florida National to a .094 hitting percentage. The Larks closed out the comeback with a 15-13 victory to complete the reverse sweep.

Foster led Hesston with 15 kills on a .351 hitting percentage and added 14 digs. Esparza followed with 12 kills and 13 digs, while Ray contributed nine kills on a .318 hitting percentage, two service aces and three total blocks.

Kerry added eight kills, 16 assists, 15 digs and two service aces. Blackmer dished out a team-high 30 assists and recorded 12 digs, while Paez led the defense with 19 digs.

The Larks finished with 56 kills and a .193 hitting percentage while holding Florida National to .149. Hesston also recorded 85 digs and seven service aces in the victory.

The win marked Hesston's second consecutive five-set victory and its third straight match extending beyond three sets. 

Hesston College 3, Fisher College 0

The Larks closed out the CAC Classic with a sweep of Fisher College, winning 25-22, 27-25, 25-19.

Hesston opened the match with 14 kills in the first set, overcoming six ties and one lead change to earn a 25-22 victory.

The second set proved to be the closest of the match. Fisher challenged the Larks throughout, but Hesston recorded 17 kills to maintain its offensive advantage. The Larks eventually pulled out a 27-25 victory to take a two-set lead.

The third set featured 11 ties and three lead changes as Fisher looked to extend the match. Hesston's defense helped limit the Falcons to a negative hitting percentage in the frame, and the Larks pulled away for a 25-19 victory to complete the sweep.

Esparza led Hesston with 11 kills and nine digs, while Foster added nine kills. Ray contributed six kills on a .250 hitting percentage, two service aces and three block assists.

Romero added five kills and five block assists, while Griffin contributed four kills. Kerry recorded 14 assists, 10 digs and five block assists, and Blackmer added 14 assists and two service aces.

Paez led the defensive effort with 33 digs, her highest total of the tournament, helping the Larks finish with 71 digs as a team.

Hesston recorded 39 kills and six service aces while holding Fisher to just 29 kills and a .036 hitting percentage. The victory gave the Larks their third consecutive win to close out the tournament. 

Tournament Recap

The Larks finished the CAC Classic with a 3-1 record, improving to 12-9 overall. After dropping their opening match, Hesston responded with back-to-back five-set victories before closing the tournament with a sweep.

Esparza led the Larks offensively with 48 kills across the four matches, while Foster contributed 40 kills. Paez anchored the defense with 101 digs, including 33 against Fisher College. Kerry and Blackmer combined for 145 assists throughout the tournament.

Hesston will return to action Thursday, Oct. 15 when the Larks travel to Kansas City, Mo., to face Calvary University.