STAUNTON, Va. - The NC Wesleyan College Volleyball team swept their USA South tri-match on Saturday as they held off Pfeiffer University (N.C.) in five sets and upended host Mary Baldwin (Va.) in four.
NCWC 3, PFEIFFER 0
Wesleyan took the first set 25-20 on 9 kills before Pfeiffer came back to edge the Bishops 25-22 in the second set on 15 kills. After Pfeiffer got out to a quick lead in set three, Wesleyan would go on a 7-0 run to lead 9-6. The set would remain close the rest of the way until kills from juniors Augusta Preston and Callie Cline clinched the third set win 26-24.
After Pfeiffer controlled the 4th set to win 25-14, Wesleyan came back strong and pretty much had the 5th set on hand the whole time in running out to an 8-3 lead and taking it 15-9 on 11 kills hitting .375.
Sophomore right side Sydney Barnwell led the Bishops with 14 kills hitting .226 with 4 blocks while Middle Lauren Weaver hit a team-best .261 with 11 kills and a team-high 7 blocks.
Sophomore OH Bijou Patel set a season-high with 11 kills in the win as she hit .172 with 11 digs for a double-double while she also recorded 4 blocks as well. Senior setter Haileigh Riesenbeck also recorded her 5th double-double of 25 assists and 13 digs while she also added a kill and an ace. Cline registered 6 kills with 15 digs and 3 assists in the game as well.
NCWC 3, MBU 1
The Lady Bishops then ousted the Squirrels in four sets taking the first set 25-19 on 14 kills hitting .250. MBU would come back to take set two 25-19 on 17 kills before Wesleyan stepped up and stole the third set 26-24 on 12 kills. NCWC then ran past them 25-17 in the fourth set for the win.
Wesleyan was led by 13 kills from Barnwell as she hit .250 with 3 digs and 2 blocks while Patel again tallied 11 kills to tie her season-high while hitting a team-best .333, also a new season high. Patel added 5 total blocks and 4 digs as well with senior middle Hannah Thrasher also tallying 7 kills with 5 digs and 4 assisted blocks hitting .250. Weaver then hit .262 with 6 kills and only one error and 4 blocks to help the Bishops dominate the middle.
Riesenbeck again led with 29 assists and a season-high of 5 aces along with 7 digs while junior Libero Sam Butensky registered 25 digs in the win. Callie Cline also posted 23 digs with 4 kills.
Wesleyan improves to 9-13 on the season with the wins and 4-4 in the East Division and into a tie for 4th. MBU falls to 1-22 overall and 0-8 in the East Div. while Pfeiffer goes to 12-8 overall and 3-5 in the division.
The Ladies are back in action on Monday when they travel to Raleigh to battle Peace (14-7) at 7 PM.