University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
5-7,0-0Big South
Charlotte
7-5,0-0AAC
Volleyball Earns Split at UNC Greensboro Spartan Tri-Match
09.16.2023 | Women's Volleyball
GREENSBORO, N.C. -Â The UNC Asheville volleyball team closed out its non-conference tournament slate Saturday afternoon and picked up a win over UNC Greensboro but fell in five sets to Charlotte to walk away 1-1 on the day.Â
With Saturday's split, the Bulldogs enter Big South Conference play 6-7. Asheville still has one final non-conference game on the schedule as they travel to Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 17.Â
BULLDOGS' BATTLE WITH 49ERS
(12-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15, 13-15)Â
Asheville did not have the hot hand in the opening set of Saturday's tri-match, as Charlotte picked up a 25-12 victory to take a 1-0 advantage. The Bulldogs bounced back, earning a 25-22 win in the second frame, before falling 2-1 after dropping the third set 25-20.Â
In the fourth set, Asheville jumped out to a 9-2 lead and never looked back. The Bulldogs closed the set out on a 6-1 run sparked by a kill from Baylor Herlehy.Â
In the deciding final set, Charlotte jumped ahead 6-3 before three consecutive kills from Avery Loeback, Matilde Teixeira, and Kylie Cackovic evened the score at six. Once again, the Niners took a three-point lead, but Asheville rallied back by scoring the following three points to tie the score at nine. Asheville would tie the score twice before Charlotte closed the set out on a 4-2 run to win the match.
Three Bulldogs connected for double-digit kills, with van der Goot leading the way with 14, followed by Cackovic with 12 and Teixeira with 11. Van der Goot recorded a double-double with 16 assists, and Kat Davis led Asheville with 23 assists. On the defensive front, Katie Nichols recorded 18 digs, and Michelle Thao had 10. At the net, Loeback had five blocks, while Herlehy and van der Goot had four apiece.Â
ASHEVILLE DEFEATS GREENSBORO IN FIVEÂ
(27-25, 23-25, 17-25, 25-17, 15-9)Â
In the opening frame of the Bulldogs' second match of the day, Asheville held the lead up until Greensboro tied the set at 15. After that, the set saw nine ties and five lead changes. The Bulldogs closed the set out with kills from Cackovic and Teixeira to pick up a 1-0 lead.Â
Asheville took a commanding lead to open the second frame, pulling ahead 6-1. Similarly to the first set, the Bulldogs held the lead up until the Spartans tied the set at 14. Asheville regained a three-point lead (18-15) over UNCG, but the Spartans went on a 5-0 run to take the lead 21-20. Asheville tied the set at 21 and 23, but the Spartans took the set's final two points to even the match score 1-1.Â
Neither team came out with the hot hand in the third frame until the Spartans took advantage of four Asheville attack errors to jump ahead 19-13. UNCG went on to take the third set 25-17.Â
The momentum shifted to Asheville's favor in the fourth set, as the Bulldogs opened the set on a 5-1 run and never looked back. With Asheville's fourth-set win, the Bulldogs forced the deciding fifth set, their fourth five-set match of the season.Â
Asheville carried its momentum into the final frame, as a kill from Davis sparked an 8-2 run from the Bulldogs. The Spartans were unable to bounce back, and Asheville picked up the win in the final set to earn a spit on the day.Â
Leading the Bulldogs at the net was Teixeira, who recorded a season-high 23 kills; Herlehy, who recorded a season-high nine kills and nine blocks; and van der Goot, who posted a season-high seven blocks. Davis led Asheville with 22 assists, and Mackensie Baldridge and Nichols led the Bulldogs with 14 and 11 digs, respectively. Cackovic nearly recorded a double-double with nine kills and seven digs.Â
UP NEXTÂ
Asheville will begin Big South Conference play next Saturday, Sept. 23, as they travel to play USC Upstate at 4 p.m.
About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank
First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.4 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 118 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.
