WINCHESTER, Va. – Cam Blankenship finished with a double-double (11 digs, 10 kills) and added an assisted block, but the tandem of Jillian Warter and Kate Poppo tallied 17 and 12 digs, respectively, as Shenandoah improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in ODAC action with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-17 victory on Saturday, March 21st in Winchester, Va.

Blankenship and Amanda Rabey had an assisted block early in the opening set, making for a 6-4 Shenandoah advantage, but Aaliyah Chunn answered with a kill that put Brooke Wagner in serve for the Hornets. With Wagner in serve, Shenandoah stretched its lead to 12-4, before a kill by Paige McDonald and an assisted block by McDonald and Khaira Bolden trimmed the deficit to 14-7. Two kills by Blankenship along with slams by McDonald and Bolden kept the Quakers within striking distance, 20-14. However, the Hornets came through with five of the final eight points to complete the eight-point victory.

The second set started out similar to the first as the two units battled to an 8-5 Shenandoah lead before three kills by Poppo sparked a 10-7 run by the Hornets that stretched the lead to 18-12. The Hornets ran off four straight points, moving to within three of the match victory, before three kills by Kaitlyn Kelly allowed the Quakers to move within 24-18 in the latter stages. The Hornets took advantage of a slam by Warter to move in front 2-0 with a 25-18 win.

Seizing the opportunity to clinch the match win, Shenandoah grabbed a 14-7 lead in the third despite three kills off the hand of Blankenship. After assuming a 19-10 advantage on a slam by Warter, Blankenship singlehandedly pulled the Quakers to within five, 19-14, with three straight kills. Carson Evans added back-to-back service aces for the Quakers, but it was a kill by Peyton Clary and a block by the combination of Clary and Poppo that provided the Hornets with the win.

Guilford returns to the court on March 25th, hosting Ferrum for a 6:30 p.m. match. For more information on Quakers volleyball check out www.guilfordquakers.com.