In a key Heart South Division matchup, the No. 21 Central Methodist Volleyball program overcame early struggles to knock off Benedictine College in five sets Friday night in Atchison, Kan.

The Eagles won the five-set thriller by scores of 25-16, 25-27, 22-25, 25-13, and 15-8. 

Central improves to 19-7 overall and 13-3 in the Heart of America, while the Ravens fall to 19-7 and 11-5 in conference play.

CMU made quick work of Benedictine in the opening set, hitting .382 and recording a match-high 16 kills. The second set was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Eagles pull out in front 25-24 with an opportunity at set point.

However, Benedictine would rattle off three consecutive kills to come back and take the set 27-25 and tie the match 1-1. The Ravens just edged CMU in set three, 25-22, to take a 2-1 lead. 

Central asserted itself in the fourth, hitting .364 compared to a -0.024 for the Ravens to dominate the set 25-13 and tie the match at 2-2. 

The Eagles found themselves trailing 4-2 in a winner-take-all fifth set before an attack error by the Ravens, followed by a block and a kill from Delaney Miller, put CMU out in front 5-4.

Both sides would exchange points, and the set was even at 6-6. But with back-to-back kills, Miller and Sydney Healy put CMU back out in front 8-6. 

Central never trailed again. The Eagles closed the match on a 7-2 scoring run, with three of the final four points coming from Callie Henson.

Henson had one of the best games of her senior campaign. The Jefferson City native tallied 20 kills on 41 swings for a .439 hitting percentage. Those 20 kills match the second-most in a single game in her career. Henson is now just 14 kills shy of tying the all-time career record of 1,462.

In addition, Henson recorded four blocks and four digs in the five-set win. 

Healy also landed in double figures with 10 kills for a .476 hitting percentage, along with two digs and a pair of blocks. Miller nearly landed double-digit kills with nine while also adding four blocks and two digs.

Joana Milho finished the evening with eight kills, four digs, and a pair of blocks. Danika White had one of the best games of her CMU career, matching Milho with eight kills on 17 swings for a .471 hitting percentage. She also added five digs, a block, and an assist. 

Ryleigh McBurney dished out a match-high 34 assists and nearly secured a double-double with eight digs. Drew Gayle followed with 20 assists and a pair of digs.

Senior Krystal Brauner led the defense with 24 digs, followed by Annabelle Maassen with 12.

Altogether, Central finished the night hitting .293 on 63 kills. Benedictine recorded a .131 hitting percentage while committing 31 total attack errors. The Eagles recorded 10 total blocks in the match to add to the offensive struggles of Benedictine. 

The Eagles returned home to host Baker University at 7 p.m. for a Senior Nigh Halloween. Central honored their 2023-24 senior class prior to the match, which was played after the Advertiser had gone to press.