The Briar Cliff volleyball team picked up their first two wins of the season on day one of the CSM Labor Day Classic Friday. The Chargers swept St. Francis to begin the day and followed with a sweep of Governors State in the afternoon.
 
"We had a great day at the Labor Day Classic at the United Sports Academy," said head coach Lindsey Weatherford. "We have been working hard to stay disciplined in our offense and defense and today our hard work showed."
 
Game 1 vs. St. Francis – W, 3-0
 
The Chargers scored the first four points of the contest, with four straight Cougar errors. Georgianna Wenzel and Sami Wasmund teamed up for an early block. The Chargers recorded 14 kills in the set, while holding the Cougars to seven, but would commit two more errors. Wasmund was responsible for four straight Charger points with three kills and an ace.
 
St. Francis took their first lead late in the set, 23-21, but the Chargers would rattle off four straight points to take the set win. After a Cougar error, a Toria Andre kill followed by back-to-back kills from Makynna Snow gave BC a 1-0 lead.
 
The Cougars jumped out to a 10-8 lead following a 5-0 run, but after a BC timeout, Kiersten Baker ended the run with a kill. Both teams battled in the second set, with the largest lead being three by the Cliff. With the score tied at 20-20, the Chargers would again end strong at the end of the set. BC outscored St. Francis 5-1 with kills from Snow and Wasmund and blocks from Toria Andre and Isabelle Lenz to close out set two 25-21.
 
The defining moments of the third set came midway through the set, with the Blue and Gold trailing 10-19. The Chargers would rattle off seven straight points, causing St. Francis to burn both of their timeouts. The run included four straight points, with Andre at the center of the action, taking part in all four rejections.
 
Still trailing by two, 17-19, BC scored 8 points to the Cougars three to secure the 3-0 sweep.
 
"In our first match today, we played a strong match against a very competitive St. Francis team," said Weatherford. "Toria and Sami continued to be consistent hitters for us and ones that we can rely on in our offense."
 
Wasmund led the way with 10 kills, four blocks and three digs. Andre added nine kills, six blocks had a .500 hitting percentage. Snow added six kills, and Isabelle Lenz had five kills and three blocks.
 
"Avery Beller continues to out dig everyone on the court in our matches," noted Weatherford. "She has been our most consistent defensive player and Yenne has emerged as one of our most consistent setters, particularly in the St. Francis match with 22 assists."
 
Avery Beller paced the BC defense with 16 digs and tallied four assists. Yenne Schepers had a game high 22 assists.
 
Game 2 vs. Governors State – W, 3-0
 
The Chargers started strong in their second match of the day with a .333 hitting percentage in set one against the Jaguars. Governors State stayed close as BC held a 15-13 lead. Continuing the day's theme of ending sets in a fury, the Chargers outscored the Jaguars 10-4 to win set one 25-17. Snow recorded back-to-back kills, while Andre and Baker ended the set with a rejection.
 
Briar Cliff totaled 17 kills in the second set on a .214 hitting percentage. They had three aces with one from Schepers and two from Jaice Johnsen.
 
After the Jaguars scored the first point of set three, BC scored seven straight including three aces from Natalie Hughes. Back-to-back blocks from the duo of Wasmund and Aliyah Basham brought it to match point, and a Governors State service error completed the 3-0 sweep.
 
"Our match against Governors State was competitive and we were able to try out multiple different lineups with different athletes," said Weatherford. "The experience we gained in that match will be valuable for tomorrow, knowing we have multiple options in our lineup."
 
Andre and Wasmund had eight kills each. Andre had five blocks, while Wasmund had four. 10 Chargers recorded a kill in the match.
 
Johnsen and Hughes recorded three aces apiece. Beller dug a team high 10 balls and has led the Cliff in digs in all seven games to start the season.
 
The Chargers will be back at the United Sports Academy tomorrow for two more games. They face Bethel at 9:00 a.m. and Evangel at 5:00 p.m.