CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the first time in over a decade the Queens University of Charlotte volleyball team went into October with a winning record. The Royals built on their winning record Friday night, sweeping their third straight opponent (25-18, 25-21, 25-20), conference rival Limestone College, to improve to 4-3 (10-5) in conference play.

Building on a pair of victories, the Royals wasted no time in jumping out ahead of Limestone in the first set. An early run and a sustained attack throughout the set led Queens to a 25-18 decision and a 1-0 lead in the match.

It was a decidedly closer contest in the second set as neither team could distance themselves early in the frame. After battling through a number of ties and lead changes late, the Royals mounted a rally that would propel them to a 25-21 win and a commanding 2-0 advantage.

Much like the first set, the Royals jumped out to an an early lead and held on to it until the end. Battling off a late Limestone rally, the Royals held on to take a 25-20 victory and earn the sweep.

Head coach Angela McGuire cited the defense's ability to kill a rally as a main contributor in the win.

“The key to our win tonight was our serve receive and defensive ball control,” said McGuire.  “Because we stayed focused and consistent, we were able to run our offense they way we designed it.

The Royals had a two-headed monster on the attack in Alexa Sparrell (Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park) and Keri Kemp (Lake Mary, Fla., Lake Mary), who combined to kill 27 of their 51 attacks. Sparrell made the most of her opportunities, hitting a match-high .480 (10-plus attempts) on the night while adding two aces and five digs.

“Keri Kemp and Alex Sparrell put on a show tonight and it was exactly what we knew they were capable of doing all year.

Taylor Riley (Lynchburg, Va., E.C. Glass) and Avery Moore (Arlington, Texas, Lamar) played a big part in the offensive production tonight, combining to assist on 34 of the Royals' 44 kills. Riley kept the Saints off balance, mixing up her set patterns while swiping five kills on quick attacks.

Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn., Blaine) played a big role defensively for the Royals, tying her career-high  and the match-high with 10 digs while notching three of the Royals' nine aces. Working opposite of Barren was Sarah Malpass (Gainesville, Fla., Gainesville), who added an additional 10 digs for Queens.

"Defensively we played some of the best controlled ball we've played all year. Malpass, Barren, Sparrell, and Kemp all did a fantastic job keeping the ball in play off of Limestone's attack.”

Limestone's Emmaleigh Halweg posted six kills and three aces while Danielle Seibert finished with 14 assists. Juniors Kassi Boedeker and Holli Dawson each added four kills and freshman libero Rebecca Kerrison posted seven digs to lead the Saints.

The win keeps the momentum going for the Royals, who continue conference play on the road tomorrow against Converse (2-7 CC, 3-13) at 2:00 p.m.