CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Royals competed in their final regular-season match of the season Sunday evening, taking on Eastern Kentucky on the road. The match was full of excitement as it reached five sets, but Queens' efforts fell just short as the Colonels came out on top, 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 13-25, 15-13).

Kendall Buish did a great job distributing, as four different Royals registered a kill in the first 10 points. After a nice service run by Kaylin Dowling that included two aces, Queens led 10-8. Later in the set, Alleigh Johnson helped spark a three-point run thanks to back-to-back kills, along with a kill by Kayla McDuffie that gave Queens their largest lead of the set, up 20-14. Each team traded points leading to the end of the set, with Johnson adding another pair en route to a 25-20 first-set victory. 

Victoria Wood got going early in the second set with three kills of her own as the squad trailed early on. Queens found itself down 22-14 early but responded well to cut the deficit. A kill by Johnson helped spark another run which included the Royals taking six of the next seven points. Eastern Kentucky would regather and manage to hold on, taking the second set 25-20. 

The Royals found themselves down midway through the third set, as a block and ace on consecutive plays by Kayla McDuffie cut into a nine-point deficit, now trailing 17-10. As she did in the first two sets, a well-placed kill by Johnson sparked another late run for Queens as they'd go on to take 10 of the next 14 points, including forcing three consecutive points for EKU. The Colonels managed to side out and take a 2-1 lead in sets. 

Buish stepped behind the service line to begin the fourth set and helped jumpstart an awesome offensive performance in the fourth set for the Royals. She managed two aces on an early run that put Queens ahead, 5-0. Up 9-4, Dowling was up to serve and continued her very strong game behind the service line, contributing to a six-point run with three more aces of her own. Queens continued to fire on all cylinders and would go on to take the fourth set, 25-13 and force a deciding set. 

After finding themselves down 4-0 in the final set, Queens fought back hard to earn some points, capped off with a kill and ace by McDuffie on consecutive points to tie the game at five. Eastern Kentucky managed to reach eight points first, leading 8-7 at the switch. After the switch, kills by Anna Law and Kendall Buish propelled the Royals to a 10-8 lead. McDuffie and Wood managed kills late in the set, but strong play by EKU helped them pull ahead and ultimately take the match. 

Coach's Words
"Today's match was definitely a battle with a lot of big swings" said head coach Hannah Long. "It would have been great to finish the season with a win but I was proud of our ability to execute at important points throughout. This match highlighted how much we've grown this year."

By The Numbers

• Alleigh Johnson led the way offensively, totaling 14 kills on the afternoon. Her 10 digs on defense helped her achieve her second double-double of the season. 
• Anna Law managed a season-high 12 kills out of the middle, adding four blocks on the defensive side. 
• Kendall Buish had a very strong overall performace, dishing out 42 assists while adding 12 digs, three kills, two aces and a solo block.
• Kaylin Dowling's performance behind the service line was fantastic, totaling five aces in match including three in the fourth set.
• Kayla McDuffie was a force to be reckoned with at the net, totaling 10 kills and five blocks. She added two aces as well. 
• Victoria Wood reached double digit kills (10) for the sixth time this season.
• In her final match as a Royal, Abbey Criser managed three kills and three solo blocks.