Spartans fall in home opener

Southwestern’s volleyball team is better than last year’s undersized 6-27 team that finished 1-10 in conference play.

Second-year coach Brianna Maitlen is convinced of that. But the 2025 Spartans only showed that promise in glimpses Wednesday night in the home opener, a 3-0 loss to Northeast (Nebraska) to open conference play. The loss dropped the Spartans to 1-6 overall going into Thursday’s home match against Highland (Kansas).

Northeast pulled away to wins of 25-14 and 25-9 in the opening sets Wednesday. Southwestern appeared to be on the verge of closing it to a 2-1 deficit in sets by moving out to a 10-5 lead in set three.

Northeast gradually shaved the deficit to pull even at 12-12 and it stayed tied at 15-15 until the Hawks went on a 10-3 closing run to clinch the match with a 25-18 victory.

Maitlen said that set showed the potential of this year’s Spartans to compete better in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. Now it’s a matter of gaining consistency.

“In the first two sets we played all out until about nine points, and in that third set we played all out until about 15 points,” Maitlen said. “Then we get in a lull where we’re not moving back quickly on defense. The passing could be better, but our setter-hitter connection was not there tonight. When we got in front of the (home) crowd we seemed to quicken the game instead of setting to the individual hitter and what they need for a set. We have to move it around more. We see it in practice all the time. Now we have to do it when we’re out there in front of a crowd.”

This year’s Spartan squad has four returning players in 6-1 middle hitter Skyelar Lawal, 5-8 setter Cadence Perkins of Bedford, 5-3 defensive specialist Crystle Cordero and 5-9 outside hitter Danica Chamberlain.

Two former CAM players make up a big part of the 2025 rotation. Maddie Richter, who began her career at Atlantic before her senior year at CAM (Anita), is one of the team’s top overall players among the team leaders in both kills and digs. Emma Follman of Massena was on campus last year but didn’t play volleyball. She has moved into a role in the back row this season.

Former Mount Ayr player Abby Eaton is also a member of this year’s squad in her second year at SWCC.

Other prospects in the front line attack this year include Addison Martin, a 5-10 freshman from Omaha, and 6-0 freshman Danyelle “DJ” Steinkuehler of Woodbine.

Sophie Rahe, a 5-4 freshman from Cedar Rapids Washington, shares libero duty with 5-2 freshman Ivey Dostal of Charleston, South Carolina.

Alternating with Perkins as setter is 5-5 freshman Savanna Marriot of Burlington Junction, Missouri.

The Spartans’ lone victory to date occurred Sunday in five sets against Black Hawk Technical College.