MISENHEIMER, N.C.- Queens University of Charlotte volleyball had the No. 1 seeded Pfeiffer University volleyball team shaking in their shoes tonight as they played in the Conference Carolinas volleyball quarterfinal match. Despite not taking a set, the Royals could have easily walked away with the win. The Falcons won the match 25-20, 25-14, 25-23.
Queens ends their season 8-23 overall, more wins than the past three seasons combined.
Pfeiffer took the first set by five points, but the teams played evenly through the majority of the game. The Royals stayed within a two points of the Falcons until Pfeiffer took command at 20-17. Sarah Burt (Pensacola, Fla., Pine Forest) and Veronica Arenander (Cincinnati, Ohio, Walnut Hill ) played well defensively at the net for Queens, but Petra Ljubicic (Asheboro, NC) and Lauren Spiotta (Batavia, NY) found ways to attack through the attempted blocks.
In the second set Queens struggled to find an offensive rhythm, or strong defensive play. The Falcons took the set 25-14.
Queens rebounded from a poor second set and took to the court with a vengeance. They evened the score at 3-3 and did not trail again until the final two points. The Royals points could be attributed to strong passing, sets and swings from every player on the floor. Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C., Sun Valley )found her game in the third set, as did Tanisha Lea (Efland, N.C., Orange Senior ). Pfeiffer was able battle back from a four-point deficit to win the set 25-23.
Following the match, Burt, who is a senior said “It has been an honor to be part of the team. I am sad that it is over, but this team has grown so much this season. The conference better watch out for Queens next year.”
BOX SCORE
The Royals were led by Keatin McKenzie (Coral Springs, Fla., Cardinal Gibbons )with 11 kills. Burt tallied 3 blocks, 23 assists, and once service ace. Arenander had 10 digs.
Pfeiffer was led by Dickens who tallied 13 kills. Morgan Liebert (Huntersville, NC) had 29 assists and a team high four aces. Brittney Poole (Sparta, NC) notched 12 digs and Victoria Parrish (Henderson, NC) had three blocks.
Pfeiffer will travel to host institution Lees-McRae College to play in the semifinals on Friday.