BECKLEY, W.Va. — Carolina University Women's Volleyball returned to the win column Tuesday evening, earning a convincing 3-0 sweep over West Virginia University Institute of Technology at Van Meter Gym.
The Bruins entered the September 1 midweek matchup with a 3-4 record and looking to climb back to the .500 mark. Carolina accomplished just that, controlling the match from start to finish with set victories of 25-14, 25-21 and 25-13, improving to 4-4 overall on the season.
Carolina delivered an efficient offensive performance, finishing the night with 39 kills and a .257 hitting percentage while holding WVU Tech to a .099 attacking percentage. The Bruins also recorded five service aces, seven total blocks and 49 digs.
SarahElizabeth Samuels led the Carolina attack with a match-high 13 kills, committing just one attacking error on 30 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. Samuels also contributed a block and finished with a team-high 14 points. Madison Kilgore added nine kills while hitting an impressive .500, along with a service ace and seven digs. Rileigh Franklin continued the balanced offensive effort with eight kills on a .368 hitting percentage.
The Bruins received strong production from their setters as Martina Rivolta distributed a team-high 20 assists while adding eight digs and two service aces. Charlee Hale paced the defensive effort with a team-best 14 digs, while Syvannah Poore contributed seven assists and an ace in two sets of action.
Carolina was particularly effective in the opening set, hitting .308 to establish control of the match with a 25-14 victory. The Bruins followed with 15 kills in the second set to secure a 25-21 win before closing the night with a dominant 25-13 third set.
"I was proud of the way our team responded tonight," Head Coach Chelsea Jones said. "We came into this match wanting to play with consistency, energy and confidence, and I thought we did a good job of setting the tone early and maintaining it throughout the match. Getting back to .500 is a positive step for us, but we know we have a challenging weekend ahead. We have to continue building on this performance and be ready to compete every time we step on the court."
The Bruins will now turn their attention to a busy weekend at the University of the Cumberlands. Carolina will face CIU on Friday at 5:30 p.m. before returning Saturday for two matches. The Bruins take on Bethel University (Ind.) at 9:30 a.m. before concluding the weekend against host University of the Cumberlands at 12 p.m.
