University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, February 27
Boiling Springs, N.C.
12 p.m.
UNC Asheville
1-4,1-4Big South
3
at
0
Gardner-Webb
2-5,2-5Big South
1
2
3
F
UNC Asheville
25
25
25
3
Gardner-Webb
18
23
16
0
Photo by: Mark Godin
Asheville Sweeps Gardner-Webb to Notch First Win
02.27.2021 | Women's Volleyball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team picked up its first victory of the 2021 spring season Saturday as it swept Gardner-Webb in three sets (25-18, 25-23, 25-16).
Stat Standouts – Junior Peyton McClinton led all Asheville attackers with 12 kills, which marks the third straight match that she has set a new career-high in kills. Lexy Cole picked up seven kills on 14 attacks as well. Setting up McClinton, Cole, and the rest of the Bulldog offense was mainly Grace Volk, who finished the three-set match with a season-high 29 assists. Defensively, Kasey West led the way with 16 digs, while four different Bulldogs picked up two or more blocks.
Set 1 – There was not a ton of separation between Asheville and Gardner-Webb in the opening set. Most of the leads were between three to five points. An attack error by the Bulldogs trimmed their lead down to two points, 20-18. Asheville took a timeout to try and regroup, and the strategy worked well as the Bulldogs rattled off a 5-0 run to clinch their first set victory of the season, 25-18.
Set 2 – The second stanza was the most tightly contested in the match. There were four lead changes, and the score was tied at eight different points. It looked late in the frame that Gardner-Webb would tie the match at a set apiece as it led 23-18. However, the Bulldogs put together a 7-0 run to erase GWU's lead and clinch an exciting comeback set win. McClinton had three kills and one block, Cole had a pair of kills, and Ona Elkins added an ace to fuel the Bulldog rally.
Set 3 – Riding the momentum after winning the first two sets, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the third. GWU struggled on the serve in the frame with five service errors. Even with the serving issues, the Runnin' Bulldogs trimmed Asheville's lead down to four, 17-13, after it trailed by eight. However, the Bulldogs gained the serve back after another GWU service misfire and promptly went on an 8-3 run to close the set, 25-16.
Note from Coach – "I am happy for our players as they deserved this win," said Head Coach Frederico Santos. "We were aggressive from the start, and this helped give us confidence as the match went on. More importantly, it was great to see them smile! It is great for them to see that the hard work they put in during practice is helping to develop their confidence. Again, I am thankful for all the work from those who help make this season possible for our team. Thank you."
Next Up – The same two teams will meet again on Sunday at Gardner-Webb. Sunday's tilt is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first serve and can be seen on ESPN+.
Stat Standouts – Junior Peyton McClinton led all Asheville attackers with 12 kills, which marks the third straight match that she has set a new career-high in kills. Lexy Cole picked up seven kills on 14 attacks as well. Setting up McClinton, Cole, and the rest of the Bulldog offense was mainly Grace Volk, who finished the three-set match with a season-high 29 assists. Defensively, Kasey West led the way with 16 digs, while four different Bulldogs picked up two or more blocks.
Set 1 – There was not a ton of separation between Asheville and Gardner-Webb in the opening set. Most of the leads were between three to five points. An attack error by the Bulldogs trimmed their lead down to two points, 20-18. Asheville took a timeout to try and regroup, and the strategy worked well as the Bulldogs rattled off a 5-0 run to clinch their first set victory of the season, 25-18.
Set 2 – The second stanza was the most tightly contested in the match. There were four lead changes, and the score was tied at eight different points. It looked late in the frame that Gardner-Webb would tie the match at a set apiece as it led 23-18. However, the Bulldogs put together a 7-0 run to erase GWU's lead and clinch an exciting comeback set win. McClinton had three kills and one block, Cole had a pair of kills, and Ona Elkins added an ace to fuel the Bulldog rally.
Set 3 – Riding the momentum after winning the first two sets, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the third. GWU struggled on the serve in the frame with five service errors. Even with the serving issues, the Runnin' Bulldogs trimmed Asheville's lead down to four, 17-13, after it trailed by eight. However, the Bulldogs gained the serve back after another GWU service misfire and promptly went on an 8-3 run to close the set, 25-16.
Note from Coach – "I am happy for our players as they deserved this win," said Head Coach Frederico Santos. "We were aggressive from the start, and this helped give us confidence as the match went on. More importantly, it was great to see them smile! It is great for them to see that the hard work they put in during practice is helping to develop their confidence. Again, I am thankful for all the work from those who help make this season possible for our team. Thank you."
Next Up – The same two teams will meet again on Sunday at Gardner-Webb. Sunday's tilt is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first serve and can be seen on ESPN+.
Team Stats
UNC-A
GW
Kills
33
37
Errors
12
24
Attempts
101
123
Hitting %
.208
.106
Points
43
45
Assists
33
37
Aces
4
3
Blocks
6
5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
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