University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Friday, August 27
Davidson, NC
7 p.m.
UNC Asheville
0-1,0-0Big South
2
at
3
Davidson
1-0,0-0Atlantic 10
1
2
3
4
5
F
UNC Asheville
25
18
19
25
5
2
Davidson
21
25
25
20
15
3
Photo by: Mark Godin
Davidson outlasts Asheville in five sets to open the season
08.27.2021 | Women's Volleyball
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team fell in five sets to Davidson (21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 15-5) Friday evening in its season-opening match.
Set 1 – Friday's match began without a ton of separation between the two teams as no lead was larger than three points for a big part of the first frame. Asheville began to separate itself thanks to the play of the trio of Molly Hackett, Peyton McClinton, and Hannah Spicer. The trio of senior outside hitters logged 13 kills on 28 attacks in the first frame.
Even with the hot-hitting from the trio of Bulldogs, Davidson was able to hang around as the score read 21-19 late in the stanza. However, the Bulldogs were able to pick a few key points down the stretch to take the first frame, 25-21.
Set 2 – The second set started well for Asheville. With Hackett serving, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the Wildcats. However, Davidson would put together a run of its own to tie the score at 10. Riding a wave of momentum, Davidson not only gained its first lead of the match but built it to seven points. The seven-point lead proved to be Davidson's final margin of victory in the second, 25-18.
Set 3 – Davidson kept things rolling against the Bulldogs in the third. The Wildcats built a six-point lead at 11-5. Asheville, however, kept pushing back, cutting into the deficit. Unfortunately, Davidson's offense was in rhythm, hitting .351 in the third and added four aces to stay in front and take the third set, 25-19.
Set 4 – The fourth set was arguably the most competitive of the night. Asheville came out firing, scoring seven of the first eight points. Like in the second, Davidson rolled off several points in a row to tie the score at nine before returning serve to the Bulldogs because of a service error.
The two teams continued to jostle for position for the remainder of the frame, with the difference being some key kills down the stretch from Asheville's McClinton and Hackett and a couple of blocks to push the match to five sets, 25-20.
Set 5 – The fifth frame began with Davidson and Asheville trading the first few points. Following that point, it was all Davidson as it went on an 11-0 run to finish off the match, 15-5.
Stat Standouts – Asheville was paced Friday offensively by the tandem of McClinton and Hackett. McClinton picked up where she left off last spring, racking up a team-high 19 kills on 49 attacks. Hackett attacked at a .385 clip and finished the night with 18 kills. Setter Grace Volk notched a double-double with 43 assists and 13 digs, and Anna Skryd paced the Bulldog defense with a career-high 23 digs.
Note from Coach – "The team fought hard but couldn't maintain our level of consistency in the fifth set," said Head Coach Frederico Santos. "We will move on with our heads high because we have to keep our eyes on the road ahead."
Next Up – Asheville will aim to notch its first victory of the season on Saturday as it takes on mountain rival Western Carolina in a neutral site contest. The first serve for that matchup is set for noon.
Set 1 – Friday's match began without a ton of separation between the two teams as no lead was larger than three points for a big part of the first frame. Asheville began to separate itself thanks to the play of the trio of Molly Hackett, Peyton McClinton, and Hannah Spicer. The trio of senior outside hitters logged 13 kills on 28 attacks in the first frame.
Even with the hot-hitting from the trio of Bulldogs, Davidson was able to hang around as the score read 21-19 late in the stanza. However, the Bulldogs were able to pick a few key points down the stretch to take the first frame, 25-21.
Set 2 – The second set started well for Asheville. With Hackett serving, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the Wildcats. However, Davidson would put together a run of its own to tie the score at 10. Riding a wave of momentum, Davidson not only gained its first lead of the match but built it to seven points. The seven-point lead proved to be Davidson's final margin of victory in the second, 25-18.
Set 3 – Davidson kept things rolling against the Bulldogs in the third. The Wildcats built a six-point lead at 11-5. Asheville, however, kept pushing back, cutting into the deficit. Unfortunately, Davidson's offense was in rhythm, hitting .351 in the third and added four aces to stay in front and take the third set, 25-19.
Set 4 – The fourth set was arguably the most competitive of the night. Asheville came out firing, scoring seven of the first eight points. Like in the second, Davidson rolled off several points in a row to tie the score at nine before returning serve to the Bulldogs because of a service error.
The two teams continued to jostle for position for the remainder of the frame, with the difference being some key kills down the stretch from Asheville's McClinton and Hackett and a couple of blocks to push the match to five sets, 25-20.
Set 5 – The fifth frame began with Davidson and Asheville trading the first few points. Following that point, it was all Davidson as it went on an 11-0 run to finish off the match, 15-5.
Stat Standouts – Asheville was paced Friday offensively by the tandem of McClinton and Hackett. McClinton picked up where she left off last spring, racking up a team-high 19 kills on 49 attacks. Hackett attacked at a .385 clip and finished the night with 18 kills. Setter Grace Volk notched a double-double with 43 assists and 13 digs, and Anna Skryd paced the Bulldog defense with a career-high 23 digs.
Note from Coach – "The team fought hard but couldn't maintain our level of consistency in the fifth set," said Head Coach Frederico Santos. "We will move on with our heads high because we have to keep our eyes on the road ahead."
Next Up – Asheville will aim to notch its first victory of the season on Saturday as it takes on mountain rival Western Carolina in a neutral site contest. The first serve for that matchup is set for noon.
Team Stats
UNCA
DAV
Kills
51
65
Errors
21
24
Attempts
150
170
Hitting %
.200
.241
Points
62.0
87.0
Assists
50
63
Aces
1
11
Blocks
10.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
2
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
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