University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
1-0,0-0Big South
Alabama A&M
0-1,0-0SWAC
Volleyball Splits a Pair of Matches to Begin the 2023 Season
08.25.2023 | Women's Volleyball
Alabama A&M Recap – Asheville kicked off the 2023 season with a stellar performance vs. Alabama A&M. After the first set, the Bulldogs never trailed against their first foe of the 2023 campaign. Collectively, the Bulldogs hit .240 as a team and stepped up defensively, totaling 10 blocks in the three-set contest.
Individually, Matilde Teixeira totaled 10 kills and attacked at a .412 clip on 17 attacks to pace the offense. Asheville native Ona Elkins dished out 12 assists and added six digs, while Baylor Herlehy played a part in seven of the team's 10 blocks in the victory.
Maryland Eastern Shore Recap – Asheville's second match of the day had several momentum changes. Overall, the Bulldogs and Hawks were tied at 19 different points during the match and the lead changed hands nine different times.
UMES won the opening set, 25-23, but the Bulldogs would rally to take the next two frames, 25-18, 25-20. Facing a deficit, the Hawks rallied back, hitting .346 in the fourth and .300 in the winner-take-all fifth set to upend Asheville in five sets.
Like she did against Alabama A&M, Teixeira paced Asheville with 12 kills. Albertine van der Goot reached double-digit kills (11) for the first time as a Bulldog. Michelle Thao nearly picked up the first double-double by a Bulldog, finishing with nine kills and 12 digs. Libero Katie Nichols also finished with 12 digs from the back line for Asheville.
Next Up – The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday when they wrap up the first weekend of the regular season. Asheville will face off against in-state foe North Carolina Central at Noon before facing off against Maryland Eastern Shore at 5 p.m. Admission will be free to both matches, and both will air on ESPN+.
