Bulldog Comeback Effort Falls Just Short on Saturday

THE RUNDOWN

Score: Liberty 3 – Asheville 2

Teams: Asheville (9-6, 2-1 BSC)

Liberty (7-8, 3-0 BSC)

Location: Vines Center, Lynchburg, VA

LYNCHBURG, VA – A huge comeback effort from the UNC Asheville volleyball team came up just short on Saturday afternoon, as Liberty was able to hold off the Bulldogs in the deciding fifth set and grab a 3-2 win in Big South Conference action.

THE TURNING POINT

After Asheville won two consecutive sets to tie the match, Liberty responded in the fifth set and used a 7-3 run midway through the set to give themselves enough cushion to withstand the Bulldogs' final push late in the final set.

NOTABLES

-Chrissy Lakatos finshed with an Asheville team-high 14 kills, adding 20 digs in the loss.

-Katie Davis passed out 28 assists while Amanda Powers finished with 19 assists over her own.

-Asheville notched set hitting percentages of .041 and .136 in the first two sets, but recorded a .316 hitting percentage in set three to turn the tide and percentages of .219 (fourth set) and ,233 (fifth set).

-After recording just one block in the opening two sets, Asheville tallied eight blocks in their two set victories (third and fourth set).

-Saturday was just the second time all season that the Bulldogs played a five set match. Asheville is now 1-1 in five-setters (won 3-2 at The Citadel in September).

QUOTABLES

“It was a great effort from us this afternoon. Despite today's outcome, it was still a good weekend overall. I am looking forward to getting back on the court this week and preparing for our next two matches.” - Head Coach Frederico Santos

UP NEXT

-Following today's match, Asheville returns home for a Friday-Saturday home doubleheader next weekend when they welcome Winthrop to town on October 9 and host Presbyterian on October 10.