CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens women's volleyball celebrated senior day in exciting fashion Friday evening, grabbing a 3-1 victory over Bellarmine on their home court (25-23, 25-16, 22-25, 25-22).
Victoria Wood and
Kayla McDuffie got the scoring party going early for the Royals, each earning a pair of kills to help propel them ahead, 9-5. Following Wood's third kill of the set, Bellarmine responded nicely with a four-point run that would put them ahead, 13-12. The set continued to sway in each direction, as there would be three lead changes in the next seven points. A kill by
Anna Law propelled the Royals ahead 23-22 late as the team would eventually hold on and take the first set, 25-23.
The woman of the hour,
Abbey Criser got going in a big way in the second set, earning five kills alone. Queens' precision and well-put together offense helped cause nine attack errors in the set, eventually capped off with a kill by Criser to take 2-0 lead after winning 25-16.
The Royals found themselves down 10-5 in the third set but refused to give up. A pair of sneaky aces by
Alleigh Johnson paired with a couple kills by Law helped them pull within one. Queens continued to claw their way into the set, thanks in large part to the strong play of
Kayla McDuffie who managed three kills and a block to help keep the score close. A kill by Criser helped cut the deficit to 23-21 but the Knights managed to hold on and take the third set, 25-22.
In the fourth set, Queens managed a strong early showing as a pair of kills by Wood helped give Queens a 9-6 lead. Bellarmine fought back and pulled ahead, 13-12, before a kill by
Kaylin Dowling helped spark a run that would put the Royals back up by two. The Knights continued to push, as they'd eventually gain a 20-17 lead late in the set. A pair of errors combined with a kill by Law brought it right back as the Royals trailed 22-20. From here, Queens put their foot on the gas and would not let up. After a kill by Law cut the deficit to one,
Jesse George stepped behind the service line and managed back-to-back aces to put the Royals ahead, 23-22.
Kayla McDuffie stepped up from there to put up a huge solo block to give the team match point. One play later, McDuffie teamed up with
Kendall Buish on a block assist to seal the match after taking the final set, 25-22.
Coach's Words
"Very proud of our teams ability to calm down in the 4th set to secure the win" said head coach
Hannah Long. "We got some great performances from our middles and solid serving throughout the game. It was also great to see our lone senior have a stellar performance."
By The Numbers
- Senior Abbey Criser put together a great game, totaling her jersey number in kills (7), adding in three blocks and three digs.
- Victoria Wood led the offensive attack with 13 kills while swinging an impressive .393 on the evening. She also added two blocks.
- Anna Law contributed 11 kills while swinging extremely efficient, only gaining one error to boast a .500 hitting percentage in the match. She too added two blocks.
- Kayla McDuffie's presence in the front row majorly impacted the match, putting away 10 kills while totaling a game-high five blocks.
- Kaylin Dowling had four kills to no errors, adding 14 digs.
- Jesse George sured up the back line with team-high 15 digs.
The Royals are back in action on Sunday, November 13 as they will take on Eastern Kentucky at 1PM for their final match of the regular-season.
