WISE, VA. – In the first match of the two-game road stand, the Queens women's volleyball team picked up a critical conference victory at UVA Wise on Friday night. The win is the second consecutive for the Royals and improved their record to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in South Atlantic Conference play. The Cavaliers fell to 4-12 on the season and 0-9 in league play.
 
The evening began slow for the visiting Royals as the Cavaliers jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead and forced head coach Hannah Long into a timeout. The brief pause halted the Cavaliers early momentum and allowed the young Royals squad to settle in. The Royals would go on small runs throughout the set and keep the score close before eventually closing on a 10-3 run and stealing the set 25-20. In the opening frame, Queens hit .170 as a team while forcing the Cavaliers into a .085 mark.
 
In the second and third sets, the Royals would settle in and set the tone early. The second frame saw the two conferences foes go back-and-forth early before Queens closed on a 10-3 run. The late surge was capped off by two Lindsay Elmore (Salisbury, N.C.) service aces. In the second set, the Royals hit .320 as a team and executed a .520 kill percentage while holding the Cavaliers to a -0.125 hitting percentage. The Cavaliers would commit nine attacking errors in the second and third sets. In the final set, the Royals maintained their momentum and dominance early. Queens would hit .265 in the frame and round out their evening at .236.
 
Grace Giunta (Palm City, Fla.) led the offensive attack with 10 kills. Kayla McDuffie (Winterville, N.C.) notched another remarkable offensive performance garnering seven kills on 12 attempts. Senior Lindsay Elmore earned eight kills to pair with three service aces while fellow senior Brooke Farley (Fort Mill, S.C.) tallied 34 assists. On defense, Loren Johnson (Huntersville, N.C.) had a team-high 15 digs and Jordyn Johnson (Jamestown, N.C.) earned 13 digs. The Royals would finish with four blocks, including three from Lindsay Elmore.
 
The Royals have a quick turnaround as they will travel for a conference showdown tomorrow with Tusculum at 2:00 p.m. The Pioneers sit atop the conference at 11-2 overall and 7-1 in South Atlantic Conference matches.