HESSTON, KS – Carolina University Women's Volleyball continued its competition at the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Classic on Friday, October 9, hosted by Hesston College. The Bruins faced host Hesston College at 4 p.m. before returning to the court at 8 p.m. to take on Haskell Indian Nations University.
Despite competitive performances throughout the day, Carolina University dropped both matches, falling to Hesston in five sets before suffering a three-set defeat against Haskell.
Match One: Carolina University vs. Hesston College
The Bruins opened the afternoon with a hard-fought five-set battle against host Hesston College, ultimately falling 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 23-25, 13-15).
Carolina University claimed the opening set and responded to a second-set loss with a commanding 25-15 victory in the third. However, Hesston rallied to take the fourth set before edging the Bruins 15-13 in the deciding fifth set.
SarahElizabeth Samuels led Carolina University with 14 kills and a .375 hitting percentage, while Melia Coleman added nine kills and four total blocks. Rileigh Franklin contributed eight kills, followed by Corinne Cutter and Rachel Powell with seven apiece.
Syvannah Poore recorded a team-high 20 assists, while Natalia Cano added 17. Defensively, Charlee Hale anchored the Bruins with 27 digs, while Syvannah Poore and Valeria Suarez each collected 13.
The Bruins finished with 59 kills, 56 assists, and 89 digs while hitting .203 as a team.
Match Two: Carolina University vs. Haskell Indian Nations University
Carolina University returned to action later Friday evening against Haskell Indian Nations University, falling in three competitive sets, 3-0 (22-25, 22-25, 26-28).
After dropping the first two sets by identical 25-22 scores, the Bruins battled in the third, pushing Haskell beyond 25 points before narrowly falling 28-26.
SarahElizabeth Samuels once again led the Bruins offensively with 12 kills and a .417 hitting percentage. Britney Comolli added seven kills, while Rileigh Franklin and Rachel Powell each contributed five.
Syvannah Poore finished with 16 assists, while Natalia Cano added 10 assists and 10 digs. Charlee Hale led the defensive effort with 18 digs, and Carlota Lobete recorded four service aces.
Carolina University finished with 34 kills, 32 assists, 53 digs, and nine service aces.
Head Coach Chelsea Jones on Friday's Matches
"We showed a lot of fight today, especially in our five-set battle against Hesston. We have to continue improving our consistency and execution in key moments. I'm proud of how our team continues to compete, and we'll look to regroup and finish the tournament strong tomorrow."
Up Next
Carolina University (12-14) will conclude the CAC Classic on Saturday, October 10, with two final matchups. The Bruins will face Florida National University at 12 p.m. before closing out the tournament against Simpson University at 6 p.m., with both matches taking place at Hesston College.
