Volleyball Rallies for League win at PC

CLINTON, S.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team picked up its first Big South Conference win of the season with a hard-fought 3-2 road victory over Presbyterian College Saturday night at the Templeton Center.

The Bulldogs lost the first set, 25-23 before rallying to win the second set, 26-24. PC took the lead with a third-set win at 25-21. Asheville sent the match to a fifth set with a decisive 25-14 win. The Blue & White rallied in the final set for a 15-13 win.

Asheville (4-16, 1-4 BSC) was led by Christine Lakatos with 17 kills. Catherine Fischer and Shelby Erickson followed with 13 kills apiece. Katie Davis had 48 assists, nine assists and six blocks, while Bryn Pfieffer added 21 digs. The Bulldogs ended the night with 64 kills and a .212 hitting percentage.

Pacing the Blue Hose were Rachel Elshoff with 14 kills, Ashton Stewart with 12 and Halle Tripp with 11. Mary Trimpe led PC with 21 kills.

In the fifth set, PC led 12-11 on a kill from Elshoff. But the Bulldogs would not be denied Erickson and Davis delivered kills to give the visitors the lead for good at 13-12. An attack error put Asheville at set point at 14-12.

Trimpe cut the lead to 14-13. Erickson ended the match and gave the Bulldogs their first BSC win with a kill.

Asheville controlled the first part of the first set with an early 15-5 lead only to see the Blue Hose rally for the 25-23 win.

In the second set, PC jumped out to a 9-4 lead only to see the Bulldogs rally and get to set point at 24-22 on two kills from Davis. The home team would score the next two points to tie the game at 24-24. Fischer delivered a kill to put Asheville in front and a bad set would give the Bulldogs the set win entering intermission.

A close third set was tied at 15-15 before PC went on a 4-0 run en route to a 25-21 win. Asheville dominated the fourth set from start to finish and tied the match with a decisive 25-14 victory.

Asheville is home at Jusice Center on Friday against Gardner-Webb starting at 7 p.m.