DANVILLE, Va. - Kaci Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) piled up 18 kills dominating game two as the Guilford College volleyball team split on day two of the 30th Annual Cougar Classic, hosted by Averett University at the E. Stuart James Grant Center on Saturday. Meredith College took victory over the Quakers, 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 23-25, 25-27) in the early match before GC defeated Salem College 3-1 (25-18, 28-26, 21-25, 25-20) in their second match.
Guilford left the Cougar Classic with a record of 2-2, with Meredith advancing to 3-1 on the season. Meanwhile, Salem College now stands at a 2-2 record as well.
Among the Guilford contributors for today's match against Meredith were
Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, P.R.) with another double-double. She had the game-high 17 kills, 13 digs, and a pair of aces.
Kaci Johnson left game one with 11 kills and three blocks, and
Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.) added ten kills, three aces, and three blocks. Other players that made a difference included
Maddi Page (Jonesboro, Ga.) who tallied team-high 34 assists, 14 digs, and four aces,
Vanessa Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) with five blocks, and
Vivian Cavataio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) with game-high 20 digs.
Meredith's X-factors included a double-double performance from Delaney Lowery with 13 kills and game-high ten blocks, Lillie Davis with game-high 40 assists, Hannah Jo Jablonski with 17 digs, and Caitlyn Russell with nine kills and three blocks.
GC leaders for the match against Salem were Alcantara earning her second double-double of the day, and third of the weekend with 15 kills and 16 digs,
Kaci Johnson with game-high 18 kills, three blocks, and an assist, Page with game-high 48 assists and six aces, Cavataio flexing her defense with game-high 20 digs and four assists, and
Amber Chiarolanzio (Deep Gap, N.C.) with 15 digs alongside three aces.
The category leaders for the Spirits were Anna Reymer with 12 kills, three aces, and a block, Aspen Bradley with 11 kills and three blocks, and Ella Brameus with 13 digs and an ace. Ashlyn Wood made an impact for Salem as well with team-high 21 assists, 17 digs, and two aces.
GAME ONE
The Angels were off to a steady start for set one as they went on a 4-1 run. Guilford countered with a 3-0 run, prior to the squads trading points. The Quakers suddenly got in a rhythm mid-set creating a 7-0 run and extending an 18-8 edge. Attacking and service errors, a kill by Moore, and a couple of aces helped with this push by GC. Although Meredith pieced together consecutive points a few times down the stretch of this game, Guilford came out on top, finishing the set 25-14 thanks Moore again with two kills along with service aces and errors.
At the start of set two, the Angels immediately constructed a 4-0 run before Guilford got on the board, advancing the score to 6-2. Soon enough, the Quakers kicked it into high gear and scored seven-consecutive times for the second-straight set, with kills from Moore mixed alongside MC's mistakes. The Angels scoring-drought was quelled because of a Lowrey kill. This inspired Meredith to go on a 6-1 run because of back-to-back Kinley Copeland kills, Madelyn Clark pitching in two of her own, and a Guilford service error. Meredith held on, winning the set 25-23, and evening the match at one-all.
Set three was all about momentum shifts and who could hold them longer as both Guilford and Meredith had stretches with several consecutive points. The Quakers started things off on a 7-2 run with a kill from Alcantara alongside some aces and attacking errors from the Angels. Kills by
Kaci Johnson and Page pushed the lead to 10-6 at one point. It was not until some GC mistakes in the service game and back-to-back kills from Russell that catapulted the score to 16-15. Copeland, Lowery, and Russell all helped with the flow of Meredith's success for a final set score of 25-23.
The final set of game one was a seesaw of scoring between the Angels and the Quakers. Guilford staked themselves with a lead at 11-7. Davis, Russell, and Lowery sparked a Meredith run to tie the match. After trading a handful of points, MU seized the advantage off of some Quaker mistakes, taking the lead for the first time in the set. Even though Guilford collected an 8-0 run to get on the verge of victory, they were unable to polish it off as Meredith rebutted 9-1, and took the set, 27-25.
GAME TWO
Kills by
Vanessa Johnson, Page, and
Kaci Johnson were key factors to setting the tone for the opening set of game two. A few points later, the Spirits made their presence known with kills coming from Bradley and Brameus, tying the score 10-10. Alcantara joined the mix to extend the Quaker lead to 15-11. All in all, Salem fell to Guilford 25-18 in set one.
The score alternated often in set two between GC and SC. Neither squad managed to accumulate more than three-consecutive points until the Quakers broke that trend with four-in-a-row via an ace by Chiarolanzio, and kills by
Kaci Johnson,
Marie Hall (High Point, N.C.), and
Zoey Whisnant (Greensboro, N.C.) to tie the match and take the lead, 18-15. Salem showed promise taking the lead 22-21 thanks to Rymer, but Guilford prevailed winning the set, 28-26.
As for set three, a back-and-forth battle took place with help from Alcantara, Moore, and Johnson. The Quakers were held in check for a stretch due to kills from Rymer, Brameus, and a service error on GC to make it 13-9. Guilford had a valiant effort and a couple of short runs late yet fell in a nail-biting loss, 25-21, to extend the match.
Set four belonged to Johnson as she collected five kills in this stanza alone. Through attacking and service errors, the Quakers had the edge against the Spirits throughout the entire set. Despite the efforts from Abrielle Eckenroth, Isabella Mann, Maia Johnson, and Bradley, Guilford secured the set win to finish up the Cougar Classic, and the win, with a set score of 25-20.
The Quakers host their home-opener in Ragan-Brown Field House on Wednesday September 4th against Pfeiffer University at 6:30 p.m.
#GoQuakers
