Knights punch ticket to Region IX Championship with win over Bobcats

North Platte, Neb. – Knights volleyball advances to the Region IX Championship with a sweep of Southeast Community College on Wednesday night.

Nya Lual led the balanced offensive attack with nine kills and a .348 hitting percentage. Jaelyn Dicke totaled 12 digs, eight kills and one assisted block, while Aubrey Grant served up 27 assists and seven aces in the match.

Knights traded points with the Bobcats to open the first set until a 5-1 run gave the black and gold a four-point edge. Southeast would not go away and battled back to knot the game up at 20. The battle raged on into extra points until a block from Lual and Kathryn Folkers earned the Knights the opening set win.    

North Platte had to erase an early second set deficit before a 6-0 run pushed the lead to 15-8. Knights continued to cruise using another 4-0 rally to build a ten-point advantage. The black and gold never let up and took a two-set lead on an ace by Zoe Maher.

Bobcats jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the early stages of the third set. North Platte rallied back with a 7-1 run to take a 12-9 lead on an ace by Grant. Bobcats surged back to retake a four-point lead in the late stages of the set. North Platte would not go down without a fight and used an 8-2 run to seal the sweep.  

Knights (14-23) will travel to Columbus on Saturday to take on Central Community College in the Region IX Championship. Serve is set for 2 p.m. inside the Raider Field House.