GREENSBORO, N.C. – Backed by roaring student sections on both sides, the Guilford College volleyball team (4-2, 0-0 ODAC) dropped a 3-1 (26-24, 25-17, 25-19, 25-20) decision to Greensboro College (3-0, 0-0 USA South) on Friday night inside the Ragan-Brown Fieldhouse.
Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.) paced the Quakers with 12 kills, and Madison Duvall (Sophia, N.C.) contributed six kills and a game-high six blocks. Jillian Mapes (Hodges, S.C.) directed the offense with 34 assists and also notched 13 digs for her second double-double in a row. Defensively, Vivian Cavataio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) collected a team-high 23 digs.
Greensboro's attack was led by Payton Shiflet, who delivered a match-high 20 kills while matching the stat with 20 digs. Kelci Brooks added 16 kills, while Jaylyn Templeton ran the offense with 44 assists and contributed 16 digs for a double-double. In the back row, Morgan Mayfield anchored the Pride defense with a match-best 29 digs.
Greensboro stormed out to a 7-1 lead behind kills from Brooks and Shiflet and a pair of blocks from Karla del Castillo. Guilford regrouped after an early timeout, chipping away with kills from Duvall and Moore to pull within two at 16-18. The Quakers kept the pressure on late, with Moore, Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, Puerto Rico), and Haley Pasour (Winterville, N.C.), delivering key points to erase the deficit. A Moore kill tied the frame at 24-24, and Guilford seized the momentum to close out the opener, 26-24.
The second set was tightly contested through the midway stage, with both teams trading points. Greensboro built a 22-17 edge before securing the final two points to even the match, 25-17.
In the third set, Guilford trimmed a five-point deficit to 16-18 with kills and blocks from Moore and Duvall, but Greensboro responded with a late surge, as Brooks and Cotie sealed the 25-19 win to give the Pride a 2-1 edge.
The fourth set saw Guilford within striking distance at 15-13 after a Duvall block, but Greensboro's offense proved too steady down the stretch, as Shiflet's kill sealed the 25-19 clincher for the Pride.
Guilford now shifts its focus to conference play, returning to Jack Jensen Court on Wednesday, September 10, for its ODAC opener against Averett University at 7:00 P.M.
#GoQuakes
