Danville / Lynchburg, Va. - N.C. Wesleyan's volleyball team wrapped up its 2017 season over the weekend, falling at Averett (3-0) before finishing out the schedule with back-to-back wins over Pfeiffer (3-1) and Randolph (3-2).
On Friday, the Bishops played their final USA South contest at East Division Champion Averett University. The Cougars managed a sweep by 25-13, 25-18, and 25-17 scores after forcing Wesleyan into a .010 hitting percentage for the match. Seniors Samantha Morton and Emily McLain performed well for the Bishops, combining for 13 of NCWC's 26 kills.
Wesleyan rebounded for a 3-1 win over Pfeiffer in the nightcap by 25-27, 20-25, 25-11, and 25-19 scores. Morton racked up 16 kills in the match, while freshman Callie Cline added 13 kills of her own. As a team, the Bishops tallied 46 kills, which saw sophomore setter Haileigh Riesenbeck dish out 27 assists. Riesenback also added three of NCWC's 11 service aces, while freshman Samantha Butensky anchored the defensive effort with 25 digs.
On Saturday, the Bishops wrapped up the season with a thrilling 3-2 win at Randolph College. Set scores were 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, and 15-5. After splitting the first two sets, Wesleyan was forced into its lone 5-setter of the season. Up 2-1 early, Butensky reeled off 11 straight service points to give the Bishops a 13-1 cushion. The two teams then traded points for a 14-2 NCWC advantage, but RC would fight off a trio of match points behind a pair of kills and an unforced error by the Bishops. At 14-5, however, it was the senior McLain who fittingly tallied the final kill of her career to seal the victory.
In the final match of their careers, Morton and McLain both reached double-digit kills with 15 and 10, respectively. McLain also added four blocks to raise her career total to 328, which ranks third all-time in Bishop history. Cline and sophomore Autumn Spence added 12 kills apiece for NCWC, with Butensky turning in a career-high 27 digs. Riesenbeck finished with 31 assists.
The Bishops end the season with a 10-19 overall record.