SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University volleyball team fell 3-2 (19-25, 25-9, 25-19, 22-25, 15-12) on Tuesday night to King University in front of a packed house at the Tom & Tracy Hannah Gymnasium.
Converse (3-14, 3-5 Conference Carolinas) got off to a hot start in the opening set as they won six of the first nine points in the stanza. Following back-to-back kills by
Anna Rabon the Valkyries held a 10-5 advantage early in the set, moments later the Valkyries led 17-11 following a quick 4-0 spurt by the offense. Another 4-0 spurt at the 20-15 mark of the set helped the Valkyries to a 24-15 edge in the opening period. King made it interesting, however, with a 4-0 run of their own to close the gap. A ball handling error ended the opening set, as the Valkyries hit a blistering .326 in the first set of the night.
Despite the hot start the Valkyries were unable to carry the momentum over into the second set. King raced out to a 7-3 lead early in the period, but the Valkyries battled back to pull within a trio of points to the Tornado. King closed the second period on a 17-4 run and tied the match at 1-1 going into the third set.
The Valkyries offense appeared to be rejuvenated in the third set as they won 10 of the first 14 points of the set. Converse appeared to be on their way to an easy third set victory, but the Tornado chipped away at the Valkyries lead and went on a 12-4 run to take a 16-14 lead midway through the set. Another 5-0 spurt by King put the Tornado up 22-16 and they never looked book as they won the third set 25-19.
Needing a set win in the fourth set to stay alive in the match, the Valkyries dug in and battled for every point against King. Through the first 18-points of the set the two squads were deadlocked at nine. The two teams continued to counter one another, until the Valkyries took a 17-14 lead and began to build upon their lead. Holding a 24-20 advantage, King made a late run to try and steal the set away but a kill by
Elizabeth Coffey ended the set and forced a deciding fifth set.
In the fifth and final set of the night the Valkyries and the Tornado battled to a deadlock through the first 22-points of the set. Tied at 11-11, freshman
Anna Rabon registered a kill that gave the Valkyries a 12-11 lead. King ended the set on a 4-0 run and stole a victory out from under the Valkyries.
Madison Gregory produced her fifth double-double of the season with a 17-assist, 16-dig performance against the Tornado. Gregory now joins fellow freshman
Anna Rabon for the team lead in double-doubles.
Kiara Cannon led the team with 12 kills in the match, followed by
Jasmine Finkley with 11 kills and Rabon contributed 11 kills in the loss.
Ansley Hodge and
Elizabeth Coffey each had four blocks in the match, while
Savannah Ducote finished second on the team with 16 assists.
Elizabeth Yohe once again led the team with digs as she produced 30 digs in the loss.
Mackenzie Day finished second on the team with 17 digs in the match.
Next Up:
Converse is back on the road this weekend with matches against UNC Pembroke and Belmont Abbey.
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