RALEIGH, N.C. - The Guilford College volleyball team (2-5-0, 0-0-0 ODAC) picked up its second win of the season Friday afternoon, sweeping Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte (1-4-0, 0-0-0 CAC) at the Raleigh Invitational. Earlier in the day, the Quakers took LaGrange (3-2-0, 0-0-0 CCS) to five sets, but could not hold on in the fifth frame.
GAME ONE
The Quakers finished the opening match with 43 kills, 40 assists, 79 digs, eight aces, and four blocks while hitting .127. LaGrange recorded 53 kills, 47 assists, 86 digs, nine aces, and eight blocks while hitting .189. Maiya Yeaton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led Guilford with nine kills, while Olivia Roberts (Claremont, Calif.) and Olivia Thorne (Huntersville, N.C.) each added seven. Jillian Mapes (Hodges S.C.) and Makenna Brown (Elizabethtown, Ky.) each recorded 13 assists, while Vivian Cavataio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) led the defense with 18 digs.
Guilford opened the match with a strong offensive effort, recording 10 kills while hitting .176. The Quakers held LaGrange to a .118 hitting percentage and pulled away late to take the opening set, 25-18.
The Panthers responded in the second set, recording 11 kills while hitting .257. Guilford remained within striking distance with 10 kills of its own, but LaGrange evened the match with a 25-20 victory.
LaGrange continued its momentum in the third set, recording 15 kills while Guilford hit .075. The Panthers took the frame, 25-20, to move within one set of the victory.
The Quakers answered in the fourth set with their strongest offensive performance of the match, recording 12 kills and hitting .257 while limiting LaGrange to a .077 hitting percentage. Guilford forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-19 victory.
LaGrange controlled the final set, hitting .375 while limiting Guilford to two kills. The Panthers closed out the match with a 15-4 fifth-set victory.
GAME TWO
In the second game of the day, and the Quakers' second win of the season, Guilford finished with 37 assists, 47 digs, 11 aces, and three blocks while hitting .304. Johnson & Wales recorded 21 kills, 21 assists, 31 digs, six aces, and four blocks while hitting .046.
Thorne led Guilford with 10 kills, while Bailey Prewitt (Kalispell, Mt.) added eight and Chrisbel Alcántara (San Juan, Puerto Rico) recorded five. Lacie Evans (Statesville, N.C.) led the offense with 13 assists, followed by Mapes with 12. Chloe Lynch (Winston-Salem, N.C.) paced the defense with nine digs, while Karly Peacock (Honolulu, Hawaii) added eight digs and recorded a team-high four aces.
Guilford set the tone early in the opening set, recording 11 kills with just one attack error while hitting .294. The Quakers also led Johnson & Wales to eight kills and a .065 hitting percentage, using a strong offensive and defensive effort to take the set, 25-14.
The Quakers continued their offensive momentum in the second set, recording 13 kills while hitting a match-best .400. Guilford's defense also limited the Wildcats to just four kills and a -.103 hitting percentage, allowing the Quakers to build a comfortable lead and take the set, 25-11.
Johnson & Wales put together its strongest offensive effort of the match in the third set, recording nine kills and hitting .185. Guilford answered with 15 kills, however, and hit .242 to maintain control. The Quakers pulled away late, scoring five in a row, to close out the game.
The Guilford College volleyball team returns to the Raleigh Invitational tomorrow to take on Sewanee and William Peace University, with games beginning at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, respectively.
#GoQuakes
