DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Royals drove their way to a 3-2 triumph (25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 18-25, 15-11) over Northern Illinois in the nightcap of the Wildcat Classic after falling to the Seahawks by a score of 3-0 (20-25, 18-25, 13-25) in the final-day opener. The day pushed the Royals to 2-4 on the season.
In the first set, UNC Wilmington (2-3) snuck out a 25-20 win despite committing 10 errors and hitting a .143 — compared to Queens' solid .241 mark. UNC Wilmington was able to stay ahead due to a 15-9 advantage in kills, but the Royals (2-4) didn't make it easy. The squad held the lead for the majority of the set until UNCW's Sarah Thompson smashed three consecutive kills to keep Queens off their feet. Once tied at 16 all, the Seahawks took the wheel - connecting on five more kills and swiping the win.
The second set saw both squads struggling to finish through offensively. Both sides of the net were held to under .100 hitting, with UNCW tabbing 11 kills compared to the Royals' seven. Although the Seahawks committed seven attack errors, Caitlyn Callahan led the flock and drove her team to the 25-18 second-set win.
Despite a back-and-forth affair in the early going, the Seahawks finished in the third set with a 25-13 victory, including 15 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, a match-high.
Overall, Jordyn Johnson and Ellis Sargent led the Royals with eight kills each. Kendall Buish paced Queens with 21 assists while Jesse George snagged 14 digs. Kayla McDuffie stuffed two blocks to lead the squad.
The nightcap against the Huskies was an all-out brawl, marking the first five-setter of the season for the Royals.
The Royals swiped the first two sets in steady fashion by the same scores of 25-20, combining for 26 kills. The Royals had mustered up as big as a 17-9 lead in the first and a 19-12 lead in the second, heading into the third set with some confidence.
Northern Illinois (1-5) made things interesting in the third, driving home a 14-kill performance led by the hands of Nicolette Nedic and Nazli Güvener — taking the set by a score of 25-22. The Huskies didn't let up in the fourth, hitting a .171 compared to the Royal's performance of .091.
It came down to the fifth and final set as Queens paved their way to a convincing 14-6 lead. Despite an unanswered five-point effort from the Huskies at the wire, the Royals pulled away by a final score of 15-11 — marking their second win of the season.
Sargent made her mark on the night, as the sophomore tabbed a career-high 13 kills and matched a career-high four blocks.
"I felt really confident with my game," Sargent said. "It felt good to get back into a rhythm of how I know I can play."
In addition, Alleigh Johnson matched 13 kills on the night, while Anna Law paced her squad with a match-leading nine kills and a season-high six blocks.
"I don't put up those stats without my team and their backup. Putting those numbers up early in the year is great and will keep us rolling," Law said. "Sargent was the MVP, she earned that spot, and I am excited for what's next."
George also put up a career-high number, as the libero dug up a solid 35 balls. Buish added in 38 assists for the Royals.
Up next, Queens will head back home for the Queens Fall Classic to face The Citadel and Marshall in Curry Arena on Friday, Sep. 8.
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