UNC Asheville Wins Battle of BSC Co-Leaders
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| Liberty setter Courtney Boggs, who will turn 20 on Saturday, totaled a match-high 48 assists and a season-best 16 digs against UNC Asheville. |
November 6, 2009
Lynchburg, Va.
UNC Asheville junior outside hitter Kelsey Benorden racked up 25 kills, Friday evening at the Vines Center, leading her team to a 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Liberty. The Bulldogs’ hard-fought victory gave them sole possession of first place in the Big South Conference standings.
Homestanding Liberty had three players finish with double-digit kills, paced by Nicki Scripko’s (Jr., OH, Fayetteville, N.C.) 17. However, the Lady Flames saw their five-match home winning streak halted, as Liberty falls to 15-11 overall and 10-3 in Big South play.
The Bulldogs boost their overall record to 22-8 and their conference mark to 11-2, after completing their first regular-season sweep of Liberty since 2005.
White-clad UNC Asheville broke a 7-7 deadlock in the opening stanza with a 6-0 burst. Lauren Ficker and Cindi Miller tallied two kills apiece, as the Bulldogs took the lead for good. UNC Asheville went on to take the first set, 25-18, hitting an impressive .343 for the stanza.
Benorden asserted herself offensively from the get-go, hitting .500 with six kills in the first set. Teammate Ficker added four kills on a .444 attack percentage. Chelaine McCarty (Sr., MB, Houston, Ala.) hit a team-best .429 with four kills for the Lady Flames, but Liberty was limited to a .154 team attack percentage.
The second set was the most competitive of the evening, featuring a dozen ties and three lead changes. Benorden’s sixth kill of the session produced the final tie, 20-20. Liberty then wrapped up a 25-21 decision with a 5-1 set-closing surge. Scripko and freshman Loren Thomas (Fr., MB, Ocoee, Fla.) put down two kills apiece during the run, which excited the season-high crowd of 1,214 and evened the match at 1-1.
Liberty produced its highest team attack percentage of the evening during set two, .250. Leading the way was Thomas, who hit .667 with six kills. Scripko chipped in with five kills and a .444 attack percentage. Benorden once again sparked the UNC Asheville attack, with half of the Bulldogs’ 14 kills.
The Lady Flames recorded the first point of set three, but it was their only lead of the stanza. UNC Asheville quickly countered with a 6-1 run, highlighted by Benorden’s kill and service ace. Liberty tied the score on four occasions, but could never take the lead. A kill by Miller finished off UNC Asheville’s 25-21 victory, as the Bulldogs took a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Benorden hit .462 with a set-high six kills in set three. Meanwhile, Bulldog libero Raquel Miotto spearheaded her team’s impressive defensive effort, coming up with 11 of the visitors’ 30 digs. McCarty and Scripko totaled five kills apiece for the Lady Flames, while libero Kelly Haseman (So., Three Rivers, Mich.) had eight digs.
The Lady Flames got off to a strong start in the fourth and final set, and they owned a 14-12 lead after Karyl Bacon’s (Jr., OH, Temecula, Calif.) kill. UNC Asheville then seized control of the set, taking a 19-14 advantage after seven consecutive Liberty errors. The Lady Flames made a furious rally attempt, as McCarty’s quartet of kills sparked a 6-2 surge which narrowed her team’s deficit to 21-20. Benorden then recorded a kill and a block assist on the ensuing two rallies, sending the Bulldogs on their way to a match-clinching 25-20 win.
Benorden fashioned six more kills during the fourth and final set, leading all players. On the Liberty side of the net, McCarty had five kills in the stanza.
For the evening, UNC Asheville owned the advantage across the scoresheet. The Bulldogs enjoyed the upper hand in attack percentage (.245-.159), aces (4-1), digs (85-78) and blocks (8-4).
Scripko’s 10th double-double of the season included 17 kills and 16 digs, while she also served up the Lady Flames’ lone ace. McCarty hit a team-high .282 with 16 kills, boosting her career total to 994.
Bacon and Lady Flame setter Courtney Boggs (So., Marysville, Ohio) also recorded double-doubles. Bacon’s featured 10 kills and 15 digs, while Boggs contributed a match-high 48 assists and a season-best 16 digs.
Defensively, Haseman totaled 15 digs, while Kirstyn Sanders (R-Jr., RS/MB, Bear, Del.) had a hand in three of Liberty’s four rejections.
UNC Asheville’s Benorden, who owns the Vines Center record for aces in a match (34), added 15 digs to her offensive numbers. Teammate Miller also reached double figures with 10 kills.
Miotto, one of the NCAA’s all-time leader in digs, added a match-best 24 to her career total on Friday, while Bridget Holliday chipped in with 19. Bulldog setter Rachel Guinane put up 43 assists.
Liberty will continue its four-match homestand Saturday at 2 p.m., when Gardner-Webb visits the Vines Center.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will make their final stop on a four-match road swing at High Point on Saturday. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at the Millis Center.
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