CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens volleyball was unable to parlay their momentum into a win at Barton College Sunday afternoon, as the Royals fell in five sets to the Bulldogs.

Continuing the match from October 14th, when a fire broke out in the laundry room of Wilson Gym, the Royals came in with a one set lead but were unable to stop the two-headed monster of Melissa Ritter and Meagan Parrott, who combined for 37 kills, 20 digs, and six total blocks.

“Mentally we did not come to play today,” said Royals head coach Angela McGuire.

The Royals struggled to find their groove offensively. Keri Kemp (Lake Mary, Fla., Lake Mary) and Alexa Sparrell (Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park) each posted double-doubles to lead the Royals with 17/11 (kills/digs) and 11/13, respectively, but combined for 21 attack errors to hit .083 on the day.

“All season we have struggled on the road and we weren't capable of executing at the right times today. Unforced errors on our side caused us to lose this match.

Anna Gibbs (Hickory, N.C., Hickory) and Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C., Sun Valley ) made the most of their attempts on the afternoon. Gibbs tallied 10 kills on 26 attempts with three blocks (two solo, one assist), while Harvey added eight kills on 21 attempts to hit .333 with four digs and a pair of blocking assists.

Avery Moore's (Arlington, Texas, Lamar) 41 assists, nine digs, and two blocking assists extended a pair of personal streaks for the freshman setter. This is her seventh straight game with 34-plus assists and her third straight game with two blocking assists.

The Royals' NCAA Division II 17th-ranked serve attack (2.16 per set) was held in check despite three aces from Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn., Blaine), whose 0.52 in aces per set ranks 37th in the NCAA DII. The six team aces are their fewest since they posted three on October 12th at Limestone College.

With the loss, the Royals fall into a four-team tie at 11-7 in the Conference Carolinas standings. After a variety of tie-breakers were brought into effect, the standings/conference tournament seeds will shakeout as follows:

Barton is the third seed based on best record (4-2) against four tied teams.

Queens is the fourth seed, having a 3-1 record, best among matches with Belmont Abbey College & Pfeiffer University.

Belmont Abbey is fifth seed because of splitting matches with Queens while Pfeiffer lost both matches with Queens.

Pfeiffer is sixth seed because they lost both matches to Queens while Belmont Abbey split with Queens.

The Royals have felt the effects of home-court advantage this season, as they have an 11-4 record at the Oven. However, the series split with Belmont Abbey came with each team winning on its opponent's home court.

With a mentally-taxing loss fresh on the brain and round one just two days away, McGuire realizes she has a short turnaround to prepare her team.

“I am very disappointed in our efforts today and we will have to rebound very quickly for Tuesday's match against Belmont.”

Round one action will begin Tuesday evening at 6:30 and be webcasted for our fans in remote locations.

Those who would like coverage of the enitire tournament can follow the action from the Conferece Carolinas Championship site.