CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team put up a valiant effort against East Tennessee State (ETSU) at the Levine Center on Saturday, but were edged out in a competitive 3-0 defeat (18-25, 21-25, 25-27) to cap off the Queen City Invitational.
ETSU jumped right out of the gate to a 3-0 lead, and despite a kill by Jordyn Johnson to cut the Bucs' spark, Queens struggled to find its rhythm. Kayla McDuffie contributed a pair of kills late, but the Royals couldn't close the gap, dropping the set 25-18.
The Royals showed more fight in the second set, with Jesse George leading from the service line. McDuffie and Ellis Sargent delivered on offense with strong kills, and Kendall Buish continued to orchestrate the attack with 23 assists overall. Queens tied ETSU 11 times during this set and managed three service aces, but ultimately fell short as ETSU pulled away late, 25-21.
The final set was a nail-biter with eight ties and three lead changes. McDuffie continued to shine with eight kills, while Sargent and J. Johnson also contributed big plays. Queens put up 11 kills and four blocks, battling hard — eventually leading 24-22 in the set. ETSU pushed back, Queens couldn't close it out, and ETSU finished with a 27-25 final score to complete the sweep.
POST-MATCH NOTES
- Queens put up a solid six aces in the match, while ETSU failed to register one.
- ETSU's Abbey Thomas led the way in the match with six blocks.
- Jesse George's four aces marked a season-high for the senior. George also added a solid 10 digs.
HEAD COACH HANNAH LONG'S QUOTE
"[ETSU] has a really high-powered offense," Long said. "I think at the start of the match, we were on our heels and took an awhile to adjust. Once we settled into the match, we countered pretty well and I think our serve-receive was really strong. It just took us too long to get into the rhythm of the match."
Queen City Invitational All-Tournament Team
Jenna Forster (ETSU)
Abbey Thomas (ETSU)
Kayla McDuffie (Queens)
Tilley Collins (Queens)
Gabriela Felix-Baeza (NC Central)
Kayden Cupid (NC Central)
Lara Kretschmer (Charlotte)
MVP: Reese Rhodes (ETSU)
UP NEXT
The Royals will begin 2024 conference play against Florida Gulf Coast on the road on Sept. 27.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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