University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
4-5,0-0Big South
Marshall
5-6,0-0Sun Belt
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 22 | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
| Marshall | 25 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 1 |
Bulldogs go 2-0 on final day of Queens Fall Classic
09.09.2023 | Women's Volleyball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Bulldogs rounded out the final day of the Queens Fall Classic on Saturday and picked up wins against Marshall and South Carolina State to finish the weekend tournament 2-1.
With Saturday's wins, the Bulldogs move to 5-5 on the season, their best start to a season since 2019, and passing their win total from last year.
Marshall (22-25, 25-21, 27-25, 25-19)
Neither the Bulldogs nor Thundering Herd jumped out with a big lead in the opening frame, as there were five ties and two lead changes before the first media timeout. The Bulldogs were able to jump ahead following a kill from Kylie Cackovic and an ace from Katie Nichols, making the score 10-7. The Herd brought the Bulldogs' lead back down to one before back-to-back Marshall errors and back-to-back kills from Matilde Teixeira and Albertine van der Goot would give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game (15-11).
Asheville held its lead by at least three points over the next eight rallies, before the momentum shifted in Marshall's favor, and the Thundering Herd went on an 8-0 run to take the lead 23-19. The Bulldogs would chop Marshall's lead back down to two, but that was as close as Asheville would get, as Marshall went on to win the opening set 25-22.
Asheville did not allow Marshall's opening set victory to hinder its energy, as the Bulldogs opened the second set on a 9-2 run. The Bulldogs took advantage of three consecutive Marshall errors to open the set. Two of Asheville's opening run points came from aces by Kat Davis and Michelle Thao, and van der Goot, Teixeira, and Baylor Herlehy recorded a kill each.
Marshall cut Asheville's lead down to three, but the Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run to extend their lead out to nine (17-8). Four of the Bulldogs' points came from Marshall errors, as the other two points were credited to kills by Cackovic. Asheville would extend its lead out to 10 points, making the score 21-11, before Marshall went on a 7-2 run to cut the Bulldogs' lead back down to five (23-18). A kill from Cackovic would take Asheville to set point, but Marshall would continue to apply pressure by scoring the next three points. A kill from Teixeira would end Marshall's threat and help the Bulldogs take the second-set victory 25-21.
Asheville carried its momentum over to the third set, opening with a 4-0 run, sparked by two kills from van der Goot and a kill from Teixeira. Trailing by three (6-9), Marshall sparked a 5-2 run to tie the set at 11. This would be the first of 10 ties for the remainder of the set. Marshall would be the first team to reach set point, but a kill from Teixeira would tie the score at 24. The Herd went on to score the next point, once again taking set point, but Asheville would follow with kills by van der Goot, Cackovic, and Teixeira to close out the set and earn the victory 27-25.
The opening rallies of the fourth set were extremely tight between the Bulldogs and Herd, as neither team let the other lead by more than two. A kill from Cackovic however, would spark a 7-1 run from Asheville, to help the Bulldogs jump ahead by five (12-7). Marshall would cut Asheville's lead back down to two, but that was as close as the Herd would get, as Asheville went on to hold the lead for the remainder of the match and take the victory.
Van der Goot wrote herself into the record book from her performance against the Thundering Herd, as the freshman recorded the first triple-double in program history since 2006. Van der Goot recorded 16 kills, 19 assists, and 10 digs. Teixeira recorded a season-high 20 kills, Cackovic recorded 13 kills and Herlehy rounded out the Bulldogs at the net with nine kills and three blocks.
Kat Davis recorded 19 assists and two aces, Ona Elkins recorded 11 assists, and Michelle Thao led Asheville's defensive efforts with 16 digs. Katie Nichols finished the game with 10 digs and two service aces.
South Carolina State (25-18, 25-9, 25-19)
In the Bulldogs' final game of the day, South Carolina State opened the match on a 5-0 run and extended its lead out 11-7. Three consecutive kills from Thao would spark a momentous run for Asheville, as they went on a 10-0 run to take the lead 17-11. Asheville would continue to hold its lead for the remainder of the game and complete the comeback to earn the opening set win.
Asheville made quick work of the second set as the Bulldogs only allowed four points to their 15 at the media break. Out of the break, South Carolina State would cut Asheville's lead down by one, before the Bulldogs extended its lead out to 12 and continued to grow its lead out to as many as 16 while only allowing S.C. State to score five points.
In the final set of the match, S.C. State did not make it easy for Asheville, as they held an 11-7 lead. An error from S.C. State would give the Bulldogs the momentum they needed to tie the set, following a block from Cackovic and van der Goot, and kills from Cackovic and Theo. With the score tied at 11, South Carolina State would take the lead two more times, with the Bulldogs tying the score each time. After tying the score at 13, Asheville would go on to score the next three points and take a 16-13 lead. South Carolina State would cut Asheville's lead down to two (20-18), but that was as close as they would get, as the Bulldogs scored the final three points of the game off a kill from Cackovic and back-to-back kills from Herlehy.
Teixeira and Thao led the Bulldogs in game two, with Teixeira recording 12 kills and eight digs and Thao recording eight kills and 12 digs. Van der Goot finished with nine kills, four blocks, and 18 assists, and Elkins finished the night with 15 assists. At the net, Herlehy helped with the defensive efforts by recording three blocks.
Queens Fall Classic All-Tournament Team
Teixeira's efforts on the weekend earned her a spot on the all-tournament team. The junior from Porto, Portugal, finished the weekend with 41 kills and 22 digs.
Up next
The Bulldogs continue their road stint with a midweek matchup at Georgia Southern on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. You can follow along to that game on ESPN+ and through the live stats link here.
