GREENEVILLE, TENN. – Sophomore middle hitter
Logan Witt totaled a career-high 19 kills on Saturday afternoon as the Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team picked up a 3-1 (25-17, 25-9, 20-25, 25-23) win over Tusculum University to break a four-match losing streak.
Witt also hit .436 at the net and committed just two errors, while junior setter
Mallory Swarts registered a career-high 47 assists to go along with 10 digs for her first career double-double performance.
Queens (6-5, 2-2 SAC) won the first set by an eight-point margin before riding momentum to a convincing 25-9 win in set two for an early 2-0 lead.
In the second set the Royals hit .323 on offense and forced the Pioneers (2-5, 0-1) attack to commit 11 errors resulting in a -.162 hitting mark. Tusculum rebounded for a five-point win in the third set to extend the match and avoid the sweep.
Three consecutive kills from redshirt-freshman
Gabbi Montgomery helped Queens open the fourth set with a 3-1 lead before the Pioneers surged in front by a 6-4 score. Queens answered back and tied the match at 7-all on a kill from sophomore
Chanel Turner as Witt gave her team the lead with a kill of her own.
Queens and Tusculum saw the scoreboard show a tie three separate times until four unanswered points for the Pioneers put the home team in front 19-16 late in the set. However, the Royals bounced back and tied the set at 19-19 and again at 20-20 before opening a three-point lead with back-to-back kills from Witt and fellow sophomore
Casey Tarvin as well as a Tusculum attack error.
Tusculum was able to close the gap to a one-point deficit late, but Tarvin put the match away with a kill and gave the Royals the victory.
Tarvin and Turner each had 13 kills in the match, while Tarvin also chipped in 19 digs on defense. Montgomery followed with nine kills of her own and four total blocks as sophomore
JayCee Jones led all players with 24 digs from her libero position.
The Royals return home for the next match as the team hosts Catawba College in a SAC matchup on Tuesday, September 18 at 7 p.m. inside Curry Arena.
