Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Queens welcomed Liberty into the Levine Center for its first home match of the season. Queens looked strong on both sides of the ball but Liberty bested the Royals 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21).
Queens got off to a hot start early in the first set. After gaining a 7-6 lead, Anna Law put away a trio of kills on consecutive points to put the team ahead 10-6 and force a timeout. The Royals capitalized on a few Liberty errors, as the lead grew to 15-8 and caused Liberty to call its second timeout of the set. The Flames used the timeout to gain some momentum, going on a pair of runs that ultimately found the score tied at 20. Queens fought hard but were unable to take the set, falling 25-21.
The second set saw
Kayla McDuffie get going early, as back-to-back kills helped cut an early deficit to one. The set was a back-and-forth fight, as the score margin never grew larger than six.
Alleigh Johnson also added a pair of kills later in the set to help keep the Royals close, but Liberty ultimately ended up on top, 25-19.
Queens' resiliency showed itself yet again in a very competitive third set. The Flames found themselves up 13-4 but Queens did not let the score affect their play. Offensive powerhouses Alleigh and
Jordyn Johnson each totaled three kills on a strong comeback push, capped off by a kill by A. Johnson that cut the deficit four, 21-17. McDuffie also added a solo block in that stretch which was one of three solo blocks she had on the day. Queens kept the pedal to the medal and showed a valiant effort but came up short as Liberty took the set and ultimately the match.
Coach's Words
"It was great to finally play at home and we came with a lot of energy to the match. I thought we improved in some areas of our game from Friday to today. We did a great job blocking and from the service line. I give a ton of credit to Liberty and their defense effort. We had a lot of trouble finding opportunities to score on offense which was definitely the difference in the match. We continue to focus on getting better each match."
By The Numbers
- Kayla McDuffie finished with an impressive three solo blocks and five block assists.
- Alleigh Johnson led the way offensively with 10 kills.
- Jessica George totaled 13 digs on the day, her twelfth game with double-digit digs.
- Jaianna Bouarouy dished out 12 assists while Kendall Buish totaled nine.
Queens returns to the Levine Center next Friday, September 30 as they will host Jacksonville State at 6 PM.
