McPherson, Kan. – The Tigers were back in action Tuesday night with another Sooner Athletic Conference matchup against the University of Science & Arts Oklahoma Drovers. For the Tigers, this was the start of a long homestand with their next 5 games being here in McPherson. Both teams came into the game looking to swing momentum in their favor and snap their current losing streaks.

Central jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the first set but USAO would attempt to mount a comeback. A little later in the first set, with the score 13-10 in favor of Central, the Tigers rattled off 8 unanswered points to give themselves a 21-10 lead. After a USAO run of their own, Central's lead was cut to just two. The Tigers would ultimately capture the first set with a score of 25-22. The second set was back and forth the entire set with the Drovers evening the match at 1-1 with a 25-21 set win. After multiple USAO runs, the Drovers would win the third set by the same score of 25-21 to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The Tigers would not go down so easy though, winning the 4^th set 25-20 to force a fifth set. We all know how unpredictable last sets can be and if you left early, you missed out on some great volleyball. USAO stormed out to a 9-0 lead and after a Central timeout, the Tigers scored 4 straight points to cut the deficit to 9-4. After a few more back and forth points, the Drover lead was 13-9. The Tigers reached down deep and again scored 4 straight points to even it at 13-13. After a few more rallies, USAO then took a 15-14 lead. An attack error by the Drovers made it 15-15 and then Amanda Dotter was able to get 2 kills in row to give the Tigers a thrilling fifth set victory 17-15 thus winning them the match 3-2.

Tiger Leaders
Kills: Vanatta (22)
Digs: Dotter, A. (19)
Assists: Smith (27)
Blocks: Owens
Aces: Smith (8)

Coach Quote
Coach Hughes had this to say about the thrilling win, "What a great match! The team did a great job of staying focused and not giving up. That drive and determination will carry us a long way throughout the rest of the season. I was particularly proud of how tough we played in the final 2 sets. The team decided to not leave the gym without giving everything they had and competing and it paid off. We saw the players take more risks with their offense and stay aggressive which helped us finish. All credit to the team, they earned it yesterday!"

Next Up
The Tigers have 4 of their last 5 games here at home starting on Thursday evening. They take on Mid-America Christian University at 7PM on October 19^th.