Following the tough win against the Butler Grizzlies, the No. 9 Seward County Lady Saints gave No. 20 Colby Lady Trojans their first home loss on Saturday, Sept. 23. This sweep marks the fifth straight sweep against a conference opponent, finishing with the score of 25-15, 25-15, 25-14.

The Lady Saints quickly took action and set the tone for the rest of the match against Colby in the first set. Although both teams traded points in the beginning, Mariana Nascimento felt as if Seward needed to distance themselves from the Lady Trojans and took over by having four straight points, three from kills and one from a block. The Lady Saints continued to do what they do best and extended their lead throughout the set, finishing Colby 25-15.

For set two, it was an interesting battle between the two teams. Due to errors made by both teams, it prevented either team to gain a lead in the set. Towards the end of set two, Viviane Viana made a 6-2 run, covered by a Giovanna Tapigliani kill. This gave the Lady Saints the energy they needed to close the second set, defeating the Lady Trojans 25-15.

In the final set, the Lady Saints didn’t hesitate to show the Lady Trojans why they are ranked 9 in the nation. Seward County had an early 6-0 lead, with points coming from Luz Sierra, Tapigliani and Viana. Throughout the remainder of the third and final set, it easily belonged to the Lady Saints, finishing in three sets 25-14.

After the victory, Seward finished with 39 kills and 50 digs as Viana (11/11) and Tapigliani (10/10) finished with double-doubles. Nascimento was extremely effective throughout the match, hitting .500. Giovanna Kuntze paced the match with 31 assists. The Lady Saints finished with ten total blocks as a team, with five belonging to Sierra.

The Lady Saints next match will be on Wednesday, Sept. 27, against the Hutchinson Blue Dragons.