ROCK HILL, S.C. – Queens volleyball went toe-to-toe with Winthrop on Saturday afternoon but ultimately fell in four sets, 16–25, 28–26, 22–25, 21–25, inside the Winthrop Coliseum. The Royals move to 8–4 on the year, while the Eagles improve to 6–4.
Winthrop used a strong start to claim the opening frame, taking advantage of Queens errors to string together a 9–3 run midway through the set. Despite early blocks from Elizabeth Layson and Camryn Teasley, the Eagles pulled away to secure a 25–16 win.
Queens responded in set two with its most complete performance of the afternoon. Behind steady setting from Tyler Peluso and Megan Kelly, the Royals built a 12–7 lead behind kills from Mia McMillen and Emma Norris. The set saw 13 ties and six lead changes, as the teams traded clutch points down the stretch. Facing set point at 24–25, Queens dug deep—Layson and Ellis Sargent delivered key kills before Norris put away the winner to even the match with a 28–26 triumph.
Momentum stayed tight in the third frame, with Queens keeping the score within two points for most of the way. Callie DeSchryver and McMillen provided offensive sparks, while a late service ace from DeSchryver cut the deficit to 23–21. However, Winthrop leaned on its block to stall the Royals' rally, taking the set 25–22 and a 2–1 lead in the match.
The Royals continued to fight in the fourth set, which featured six ties. Sargent produced timely swings in the middle, and McMillen added late kills to knot the score at 17–17. Peluso's defense also kept rallies alive, but the Eagles answered with a 5–2 run to push the set out of reach. Winthrop clinched the match with a 25–21 decision.
McMillen paced Queens with a double-double, tallying 11 kills and 13 digs. Norris added nine kills and a team-high five blocks, while DeSchryver matched her with 10 kills and 11 digs. Peluso dished out 23 assists and notched 16 digs, and Kelly contributed 19 assists and nine digs. Collins anchored the defense with 13 digs, helping the Royals finish the day with 53 kills, 67 digs, and 11 total blocks.
"A tough loss, but a good test for us," Head Coach Matt Stolz said. "I think we did really well with being aggressive; and we are doing the right things, it just didn't go our way. Excited to finish out the non-conference slate against Gardner-Webb next week to regroup."
UP NEXT
Queens will close out its non-conference slate on Tuesday, Sept. 23, when the Royals travel to Gardner-Webb before opening ASUN play next weekend.
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