GREENSBORO, N.C. — Carolina University Women's Volleyball returned to the court Saturday, September 26, traveling to Guilford College for a tri-match featuring a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponents. Coming off an exciting victory over Livingstone on Tuesday, the Bruins faced Shenandoah University in the opening match before closing the day against host Guilford College.
Carolina battled through two tightly contested five-set matches but came up just short in both, falling 3-2 to Shenandoah and 3-2 to Guilford. The results moved the Bruins to 10-10 on the season.
Match One: Shenandoah 3, Carolina 2
The Bruins opened the day against Shenandoah and found themselves trailing after a 25-17 opening-set loss. Carolina responded in the second, using a stronger offensive performance to take the set 25-23 and even the match at one set apiece.
Shenandoah regained the advantage with a 25-18 victory in the third, but Carolina refused to go quietly. The Bruins produced their best attacking set of the match in the fourth, recording 15 kills with only three errors for a .387 hitting percentage. That effort helped Carolina claim a 25-21 victory and force a decisive fifth set. Shenandoah ultimately secured the match by taking the fifth, 15-12.
SarahElizabeth Samuels led Carolina offensively with 12 kills, while Rileigh Franklin added 11 kills. Melia Coleman finished with nine kills on a team-best .444 hitting percentage while also contributing two solo blocks and six block assists. Madison Kilgore added eight kills, while Syvannah Poore directed the offense with 31 assists, 13 digs and two service aces. Charlee Hale contributed 11 digs defensively.
As a team, Carolina totaled 58 kills, 53 assists, six service aces and 60 digs, finishing the match with a .187 hitting percentage.
Match Two: Guilford 3, Carolina 2
Carolina returned to the floor for another five-set battle in the second match of the day, this time against host Guilford College.
The Bruins started quickly, taking the opening set 25-23. Guilford answered by winning the second 25-18 and edged Carolina 25-23 in a competitive third set to move ahead 2-1. Facing another potential four-set defeat, the Bruins responded once again, winning the fourth 25-22 to send their second consecutive match to a fifth set. Guilford closed out the contest with a 15-9 victory in the deciding frame.
SarahElizabeth Samuels turned in a standout offensive performance with a match-high 20 kills, hitting .354 on 48 attempts. Madison Kilgore recorded 12 kills and 14 digs, while Britney Comolli added nine kills with a .333 hitting percentage. Melia Coleman also finished with nine kills and contributed one solo block and six block assists.
Syvannah Poore recorded 30 assists and four service aces, while Natalia Cano added 16 assists and two aces. Charlee Hale anchored the Bruins defensively with a team-high 25 digs, helping Carolina finish with 76 digs as a team. The Bruins produced 61 kills and hit .249 for the match, including a .400 hitting percentage in the third set.
Head Coach Chelsea Jones: "Today was a battle from start to finish. Playing back-to-back five-set matches against two tough opponents tested us physically and mentally, and I was proud of the way our team continued to fight. There are areas we have to clean up, but there were also a lot of positives that we can take from today. We will get back in the gym, continue working and prepare for another tough road match at Ferrum."
Carolina University Women's Volleyball will return to action on Tuesday, September 28, when the Bruins travel to Ferrum College for a 6 p.m. start.
