Liberty University
10-9, 5-2Big South
Presbyterian
3-16, 1-4Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 25 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Presbyterian | 16 | 25 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 2 |
Lady Flames Extend Winning Streak to 5, Edge PC, 3-2
10/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty rallied from a 2-1 deficit, posting resounding wins in sets four and five to down PC, 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-5), Friday at the Templeton Center.
With the win, the Lady Flames (10-9, 5-2 Big South) boosted their winning streak to five matches. Presbyterian fell to 3-16, 1-4 in conference play. Liberty is 3-1 in five-set matches against Big South opponents so far this season.
Liberty outhit the Blue Hose, .223-.087, for the match. The Lady Flames led, 16-6 in blocks, 59-43 in kills, 8-6 in aces and 73-53 in digs.
Leah Clayton scored a match-high 17 kills, adding 15 digs and four blocks. Anna Gragg recorded a career-high 13 kills at a .478 pace, also posting eight blocks. Anna Willey registered a season-high 51 assists, 11 digs and five blocks, while Sirena Vorster contributed nine kills and eight blocks. Margaret Latchford collected a match-high 16 digs and Payton Carter led all players with four service aces. Gabrielle Vess sent down 12 kills and Michelle Melendez collected 12 digs.
Martina Shamley led PC with 14 kills, while Sierra Davis scored 12 kills and Erin Eulitz recorded 10 kills. Sara Rogers registered a double-double with 35 assists and 12 digs, while Mikayla Register collected 13 digs and Lena Gavin corralled 10 digs.
Set one went back and forth early, with the Lady Flames leading, 8-7, following a Vorster kill. Liberty then broke the set open, posting four blocks during a 7-0 run that made it 15-8. The Lady Flames maintained a sizeable advantage on the way to a 25-16 victory.
Liberty hit .370 during the opening session, registering six blocks to help hold PC to a .000 hitting percentage. Vorster factored in on four first-set blocks.
PC jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in set two when Del Toro sent down a kill. The Lady Flames battled back, tying the score at 15-15 and again at 16-all with a pair of Clayton kills. The Blue Hose scored the next three points. After Liberty drew the deficit to 20-19, four rally points ensued. Shamley scored the set-clinching kill, 25-22.
The Blue Hose outhit the Lady Flames, .256-.184, during the second set. PC's Shamley and Liberty's Clayton scored five kills each.
Set three saw several swings in momentum. Trailing 15-11, Liberty reeled of seven straight points to take an 18-15 lead, with two Payton Carter aces fueling the run. PC later staged a 5-0 rally, capped by a Stewart-Davis block for a 21-19 lead. Liberty's Vess and Willey then posted a block, but the Blue Hose pulled away to win, 25-21.
The Blue Hose outhit Liberty, .162-.026, during the third session, although Clayton scored six kills in set three.
Liberty forced a decisive fifth set with a dominant, 25-14, win in the fourth session. The Lady Flames hit .310 during set four, compared to .029 for the Blue Hose as the visitors registered four blocks. Vess and Vorster both scored four set-four kills.
With set five tied, 4-4, the Lady Flames outscored PC, 11-1, down the stretch to post a resounding 15-5 set victory and clinch the match.
The visitors hit .375 during the fifth session, also posting three blocks to help hold the hosts to a -.150 hitting percentage.
Liberty will next face Charleston Southern, tomorrow, with the match between the Lady Flames and Buccaneers set to begin at 2 p.m. at the Buccaneer Field House.
