Central A&M continued its promising start to the volleyball season Monday night, handing Pawnee its first loss of the year with a straight-set victory on the Indians’ home court.
The Lady Raiders captured the opening set 25-13 before completing the sweep with a 25-18 victory in the second, improving to 2-1 through their first three matches of the season.
Central A&M received contributions throughout its lineup, with junior Mabry Metzger leading the attack with six kills while adding two blocks, two digs and an assist. Senior setter Callie Robertson helped orchestrate the offense with 11 assists while contributing three kills, three aces and two digs.
The Raiders were also effective from the service line. Senior Lanae Hanley recorded three aces and three digs, while fellow senior Shelby Younker added three aces and three digs. Kenzie White chipped in two aces.
At the net, junior Lylah Minott finished with three kills and a block, freshman Kooper McLain recorded two kills, and junior Kiley Long added a kill. Senior Kaydence Wilkinson contributed across the board with an ace, a kill, an assist and three digs.
The balanced performance helped Central A&M establish control early. The Raiders created separation in the opening set and prevented Pawnee from finding enough sustained momentum to close the gap, taking the first frame by 12 points.
Pawnee responded with a stronger effort in the second set. The Indians, featuring players such as Lily McCario, Elisa Gall, Jada Johnson, Lilly Skogsberg and Ashlyne Cobb, battled to stay within striking distance, but Central A&M continued to capitalize on openings and maintained enough separation to close out the match, 25-18.
For the Raiders, Monday’s performance was another encouraging sign for a program looking to take a significant step forward this fall.
Central A&M finished last season with a 7-26 record and opened that campaign 0-3. This year’s group has already flipped that early-season script, sitting at 2-1 after three matches.
A veteran senior group has played an important role in that turnaround. Senior captains Wilkinson, Hanley, Younker, White and Robertson have helped provide leadership for head coach Vanessa Rork’s squad, both on and off the court.
Following Monday’s victory, we spoke with Wilkinson and Hanley as they pointed to the team’s “We Over Me” mentality and its chemistry as major factors behind the Raiders’ early success. Rather than relying on one player to carry the load, Central A&M’s production against Pawnee reflected that team-first approach, with contributions coming from throughout the lineup.
Rork has been pleased with the effort her team has shown through the opening stretch and is looking for the Raiders to continue building on that foundation as the season progresses.
There will not be much time for Central A&M to celebrate Monday’s win. The Raiders return to action Tuesday on the road against Argenta-Oreana before hosting Pana and later traveling to Okaw Valley as part of a busy week.
For Pawnee, the loss marks its first setback of the season, but the Indians will have an opportunity to regroup before returning to the road. Pawnee is scheduled to face New Berlin on Sept. 3 as it looks to respond and get back into the win column.
For Central A&M, Monday night represented another positive early-season result — and another indication that a team coming off a difficult 2025 campaign may be ready to write a much different story this fall.
