HIGHLAND, Kan. - On Dig Pink Scottie Strong night, Cara Elam provided a new, as-yet-untapped source of offensive firepower for Highland (26-5, 5-3 KJCCC) in a 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-11) sweep of Independence (8-23, 0-7 KJCCC) on Wednesday night. The Kansas City, Mo., freshman dropped 10 kills and two block assists on the Pirates, leading the Scotties in both categories.

Highland got off to a rocky start in the first set, as Independence briefly opened a 4-2 lead. The Scotties rebounded with a four-point run punctuated by an Elam kill, then a three-point surge capped by a block by Elam and Jaala Stewart to take a 9-5 lead.

After closing out the first set, Highland again trailed to start the second set, falling behind 6-4 through the opening 10 points. The Scotties answered by sandwiching a single Pirate kill between a pair of five-point runs to take a 14-7 lead. Highland held the Pirates at arm's length, with a pair of Elam kills and a service ace by Cami Dalinghaus helping the Scotties to a five-point run to claim the second set and move to a 2-0 match lead.

Unlike the previous two sets, Highland dominated the opening of the third set, forcing Independence to burn both timeouts with a 13-3 run. The Scotties jumped out to a 6-1 lead, then answered a short spurt by the Pirates with a six-point run. Elam kills bookended the run, with Tailyn Kadavy adding a pair of kills and linking up with Elam for a block, one of eight for Highland in the match.

Kadavy racked three straight kills in a seven-point run that pushed the Scotties past the 20-point plateau. Independence tried to find a desperate comeback, linking four consecutive kills to close the margin to 21-10, but Cierra Poldberg broke the surge with a kill and Highland finished the third set 25-11 winners.

Highland is on the road for three matches before returning home. First up is a neutral-site match against Northeast Community College. First serve from Columbus, Neb., is set for 2 p.m.