CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite finding a commendable lead in the first set against an undefeated Bulldog squad, Queens fell to the Citadel in three straight sets (25-19, 28-26, 25-18) and finished off the day with a hard-fought three set battle (25-15, 25-23, 25-16) against the Herd in the first day of the Queens Fall Classic.
Queens vs. The Citadel
The Royals (2-6) jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in set one behind the energy of a raucous crowd. Powerful attacks by the Bulldogs (8-0) from heavy-hitter Ali Ruffin helped the Bulldogs cut the Royals lead to 13-10 before an unanswered run would give them their first lead of the match, 19-18. The Bulldogs would take control of the reigns from there, scoring six of the next seven points en route to a 25-19 victory, behind 13 kills in set one.
The second set was a thrilling back-and-forth affair that included seven lead changes and sixteen ties. The largest lead either team held in the set was three points. The Royals tied the set at 24 a piece, thanks to two consecutive miscues by the Bulldogs. The two sides would trade points before back-to-back kills by Ruffin awarded the second set to the Citadel squad. The Royals swung a .152 with 13 kills, while the Bulldogs would edge them with a .278 hitting percentage and 20 kills.
The third set was a solid back-and-forth affair before the Bulldogs used three straight kills from the efforts of Ruffin and Maddy Cardenas to take a commanding 21-15 lead. The Royals clawed back, using two errors by the Bulldogs to cut the lead to 21-17. The Bulldogs would eventually take four of the next five points due to Royals missteps, taking the match with a 25-18 third-set win.
The Royals finished the match with a .085 hit percentage, 28 kills, and seven aces.
Ellis Sargent led the Royals with eight kills, while
Kendall Buish led the way with 13 assists.
Queens vs. Marshall
In the Royals' second match of the day, Marshall (5-5) jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in set one before the Royals would storm back to tie the match at 9-9 behind the hands of
Alleigh Johnson on the kill. The set remained back-and-forth until Marshall pulled away, scoring eight of the set's last nine points on the backs of their .625 hitting percentage in set one.
Like the Royals' first match, set two was a seesaw affair featuring 12 ties and five lead changes. After Queens scored four straight points off two service aces and two Marshall errors, they would take their largest lead of the set by a score of18-14. The Thundering Herd would slowly pinch their way back, as they eventually tied the match 23-all. A set error and an ace by Peyton Neal for the Thundering Herd would clinch set for Marshall, 25-23. The Royals boasted a .440 hitting percentage and 12 kills in set two, while Marshall tallied a .412 hitting percentage and 17 kills.
The Royals held an early 7-4 lead in set three before Marshall scored three straight to tie the match, 7-7. The Royals would remain tough with the Herd, as they only trailed 17-14 late into the set. However, Marshall would rattle off seven of the last nine points in the match, securing the 25-16 set and match victory.
A.Johnson led the Royals with 13 kills in the nightcap while Buish led the Royals again in assists with 27.
"We always play hard, that's never a question," Queens Head Coach
Hannah Long said. "When a team plays as clean as Marshall did and forces us to seamlessly stream together points, it can be tough for us offensively."
A. Johnson's 13 kills would match her season-high, and mark her third match of the season tabbing 13 kills or more.
"[Johnson] came into the match with the right mindset. Marshall had to adjust to her; forcing teams to adapt to what we are trying to do is always a good sign."
Up next, the Royals will return to action tomorrow afternoon against Furman University at 2:30 PM inside Curry Arena to finish off the Queens Fall Classic.
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