The Highland Community College Scotties battled through a challenging four-match weekend at the Metropolitan Community College Tournament, finishing 2-2 after closing the tournament with back-to-back sweeps.
The tournament came at a good time for the Scotties, who were looking to bounce back from a loss to Neosho Wednesday night. Highland faced strong competition throughout the weekend and, after two close losses to open the tournament, responded with two convincing victories to finish on a positive note.
Highland opened the tournament Friday against Lewis & Clark Community College, falling 3-1 in a competitive match. The Scotties dropped the first set 25-20, then battled back to take the second 26-24. Lewis & Clark edged Highland 26-24 in the third set before taking the fourth 25-16. The Scotties recorded 52 kills on 151 attacks in the match and finished with a .146 hitting percentage. Highland's offense was particularly strong in the second set, hitting .314 with 16 kills. The Scotties also collected 50 assists, 62 digs and eight blocks while serving at 95.4 percent efficiency and recording five aces.
The Scotties then faced Dallas Brookhaven later Friday and again found themselves in a tightly contested four-set match. Dallas Brookhaven won the opener 25-17, but Highland answered by taking the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-23. The Scotties nearly forced a fifth set, but Dallas Brookhaven prevailed 27-25 in the fourth. Highland finished with 48 kills on 145 attacks for a .179 hitting percentage. The offense was especially effective in the second set, producing 18 kills while hitting .295. The Scotties also had 44 assists, 51 digs and four blocks. Serving was another strength, with 11 aces and a 93.8 percent serving efficiency.
After two hard-fought losses, Highland came back Saturday with a strong performance against Ottawa University. The Scotties defeated Ottawa 3-0, winning 25-16, 25-16 and 25-12. Highland put together one of its most efficient offensive performances of the tournament, finishing with 42 kills on 89 attacks for a .326 hitting percentage. After hitting .139 in the opening set, the Scotties' offense took off. Highland hit .444 in the second set and .462 in the third, recording 15 kills in each. The Scotties added 39 assists, 34 digs and four service aces while serving at 94.4 percent efficiency.
Highland closed the tournament against Coffeyville Community College and again came away with a sweep. The Scotties defeated Coffeyville 3-0, finishing the match with 41 kills on 111 attacks for a .270 hitting percentage. Highland steadily improved offensively throughout the match, hitting .261 in the first set, .200 in the second and .343 in the third. The Scotties also recorded 38 assists, 46 digs, four blocks and eight aces. Highland served at an impressive 95.9 percent efficiency and finished with a 59.6 percent side-out percentage. The two consecutive sweeps provided a strong finish to a weekend that tested the Scotties against several competitive opponents. Highland's offense produced 183 kills across the four tournament matches, along with 171 assists, 193 digs and 17 blocks.
More importantly, the Scotties showed their ability to respond to adversity. After two four-set losses to begin the tournament, Highland regrouped and finished with two straight wins without dropping a set. The Scotties, 9-8, now return to the court on Wednesday, September 16 in Parsons, KS against Labette Community College with the momentum of those two victories as they continue the 2026 season. Don't miss the next home match on Friday, September 18 at 4 PM vs. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.