Wadsworth’s Career Day Highlights Friday Split in Athens

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Mercyhurst	19	25	23	18	1
UNC Asheville	25	22	25	25	3

Mercyhurst

UNC Asheville

Team	1	2	3	Final F
UNC Asheville	19	20	20	0
Ohio	25	25	25	3

ATHENS, Ohio – The UNC Asheville volleyball team split its opening day in the Bobcat Invitational on Friday, defeating Mercyhurst in four sets before falling to host Ohio in the nightcap.

Asheville opened the day with a 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst, winning 25-19, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-18. The Bulldogs closed the evening with a setback against Ohio, 19-25, 20-25 and 20-25, moving Asheville to 11-3 on the season.

Asheville 3, Mercyhurst 1

Sarah Wadsworth powered Asheville offensively in the opening match, putting down a career-high 21 kills while hitting .409. Wadsworth committed just three errors on 44 attacks and added three service aces and eight digs. Her 21 kills surpassed her previous career high and marked her first 20-kill performance as a Bulldog.

Albertine van der Goot joined Wadsworth in double figures with 10 kills on a .364 hitting percentage while adding five total blocks. Cadence Nichols hit a team-best .417 with six kills, while Lily Bannister finished with six kills on 10 swings for a .500 hitting percentage. Lydia Pate also contributed five total blocks.

Asheville's two-setter attack saw Olivia Callipo dish out 22 assists with three service aces and Elise Jensen record 20 assists. Catherine Hubiak and Addie Brookbank led the defensive effort with 10 digs apiece, while Olivia Philpot added nine.

The Bulldogs finished the match with 51 kills and a .244 hitting percentage while holding Mercyhurst to a .153 clip. Asheville also continued its strong work from the service line with 11 aces.

Asheville took control of the opening set from the start, scoring the first three points of the match and never trailing on its way to a 25-19 victory. Mercyhurst responded in the second, evening the match with a 25-22 win.

The Bulldogs answered in a tightly contested third frame. After the teams were tied at 21, Asheville reclaimed the lead on a Wadsworth kill. Mercyhurst evened the score again at 22 and later moved ahead 23-22, but Brookbank tied the frame with a kill before an attack error gave Asheville set point. Van der Goot followed with the set-clinching kill to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage.

Asheville carried the momentum into the fourth. Leading 17-15, the Bulldogs used a Brookbank kill and service ace to create separation before Bannister and Wadsworth helped Asheville pull away down the stretch. Wadsworth put the finishing touch on the victory with her 21st kill of the afternoon.

The final frame was Asheville's strongest offensive set of the match, as the Bulldogs recorded 14 kills with just two errors on 29 attempts for a .414 hitting percentage.

Ohio 3, Asheville 0

Wadsworth once again led Asheville's offensive efforts against Ohio, finishing with 11 kills and a .241 hitting percentage. Brookbank followed with six kills, while Nichols added four.

Callipo recorded 22 assists and added a career-high two solo blocks, while Hubiak led the back row with seven digs and matched her career high with two service aces. Pate also recorded two aces for the Bulldogs.

Ohio finished the match hitting .267 with 39 kills, while Asheville recorded 27 kills on a .146 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs finished with five service aces.

The Bobcats established separation midway through the opening frame and held off Asheville for a 25-19 win. Ohio followed with a 25-20 victory in the second set despite a late Bulldog push that saw Asheville trim a six-point deficit to three at 23-20.

Asheville battled again in the third, cutting Ohio's lead to 23-19 following back-to-back Bobcat setting errors. Wadsworth later extended the match with a kill to make the score 24-20, but Ohio answered on the following rally to close the set and the match, 25-20.

Up Next

Asheville closes out the weekend on Saturday, Sept. 19, against Morgan State at 11 a.m.