University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
3-2,0-0Big South
Iona
0-7,0-0MAAC
Volleyball Wins Both Saturday Matches to Open UMES Tournament
09.14.2024 | Women's Volleyball
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team opened its first day of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Tournament on Saturday and picked up wins over Iona (3-2) and Hampton (3-0).
With Saturday's sweep, Asheville's record advances to 4-2, the best start through the first six games of the season since 2016.
GAME ONE- AVL: 3, IONA: 2 (21-25, 25-16, 28-30, 25-15, 15-9)
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs had a match go into a fifth set, as the Bulldogs battled back from being down 1-0 and 2-1.
In the opening frame, Iona jumped out to a 7-4 lead and never looked back, as the Gaels held the lead for the entire set.
The second set had a similar beginning as the first, as Iona held an early 7-4 lead. A service error from Iona would tip the momentum in Asheville's favor as the Bulldogs went on an 8-1 run to take a 13-9 lead. Avery Loeback fueled Asheville's run with three kills. Asheville closed the set out on a 7-2 run to even the match 1-1.
The third set went past regulation end to determine a winner. The Bulldogs trailed 24-22, but back-to-back Iona errors and a kill from Kylie Cackovic helped set point turn in Asheville's favor as the Bulldogs led 25-24. Iona tied the set three separate times and took the lead 28-27 with an ace. A kill from Kimberly Czepukaitis tied the set at 28, but Iona scored the final two points to win 30-28 and retake the match lead.
With their backs against the wall, Asheville did not crumble under the pressure, as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-1 lead to start the fourth set. Baylor Herlehy set the tone for Asheville with a block to earn the Bulldogs' first point of the set. Iona went on to commit four errors, and Albertine van der Goot recorded a block to help Asheville take the early lead. Iona made it a one-point game (7-6) before the Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run. Asheville went on to take a double-digit lead with a 4-0 run (22-12). Cackovic and van der Goot recorded kills during the run, and Asheville took advantage of two Gael errors. A bad set from Iona and kills from Loeback and Cackovic helped Asheville even the match 2-2 and go into a fifth set.
Neither team came out with the upper hand to start the deciding set, as the score was tied at five. Back-to-back kills from Loeback and Cackovic helped the momentum tip in Asheville's favor as the Bulldogs took a two-point lead and held the lead for the remainder of the set to help Asheville earn the hard-fought victory.
Van der Goot led the Bulldogs with 16 kills, matching her career-high in kills she recorded last season against Marshall. She also recorded three solo blocks and a block assist. Matilde Teixeira and Cackovic followed with 13 and 12 kills, and both helped in defensive efforts with seven and nine digs, respectively. Czepukaitis recorded eight kills, two solo blocks and a block assist, Loeback had seven kills, and Baylor Herlehy had five kills, adding four solo blocks and a block assist to her stat line.
Payton Rolfsen and Payton Barr each had double-doubles, with Rolfsen recording 10 assists and 16 digs and Barr recording 18 assists and 16 digs. Michelle Thao helped lead Asheville's defense with 13 digs.
Asheville's team hitting percentage was .285%, the highest for an Asheville team in a five-set match since 2017 (win vs. Delaware St. .304%). Asheville took advantage of 27 Iona attack errors while only committing 14.
GAME TWO- AVL: 3, HAMPTON: 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-14)
Asheville carried its winning momentum to their second match of the day as the Bulldogs earned their second sweep of the season as they defeated the Hampton Pirates.
Asheville took the first lead of the opening set and never looked back, going on a 7-0 run to take a double-digit lead 18-7. Hampton brought the score back within six with a 6-1 run, but the Bulldogs closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the opening frame by 10 points. Asheville closed the set on four consecutive kills, starting with a kill from Czepukaitis, two from Herlehy, and one from Loeback in between Herlehy's.
In the second set, Hampton came out with more energy, as the Pirates held an 11-8 lead. Three consecutive attack errors helped Asheville tie the game at 11 and a kill from Cackovic helped Asheville take a 13-12 lead. Hampton moved back in the lead (16-14) before Asheville responded with a 5-0 run to regain the lead. Hampton went on to bring the score within one (23-22), but the Bulldogs took advantage of a bad set from the Pirates and a kill from Cackovic to take a 2-0 match lead.
In the final set of the day, Hampton jumped out to an 11-7 lead, following a 5-0 run to put the Pirates ahead after trailing by one. The Pirates extended their lead to five points before Asheville closed the match on a 17-1 run. A kill from Lydia Pate tied the score at 14, Michelle Thao recorded four service aces, Asheville took advantage of five Pirate errors, and five separate Bulldogs recorded kills to help Asheville to victory.
Cackovic led the team with 10 digs and eight kills. Czepukaitis also recorded eight kills, van der Goot had seven and four block assists, Pate had six, Herlehy had five and three block assists, and Loeback and Teixeira had four kills each. Teixeira and Thao recorded six digs apiece to assist on the defensive front. Rolfsen led the team with 20 assists and Barr followed with 15.
The team's attack percentage was .368, compared to Hampton's .136. The Pirates also committed 16 attack errors, while the Bulldogs only had seven.
UP NEXT
Asheville finishes its time in Maryland tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 15, as the Bulldogs face tournament host Maryland Eastern Shore at 10 a.m.
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