CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Converse University volleyball team defeated Lees-McRae 3-2 on Tuesday night and clinched a share of the Conference Carolinas Northwest Division Championship.
For Converse this is their first championship of any kind since joining the conference in 2008. The Valkyries are in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history. With the win on Tuesday evening, Converse is now 19-8 overall this season and 13-4 in Conference Carolinas action. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae drops to 10-17 overall and 2-15 in Conference Carolinas play.
In the opening set, Converse fell behind 4-1 to Lees-McRae and eventually trailed 10-5 later in the period. The Valkyries battled back and eventually tied the match at 15, a few moments later the Valkyries held a 19-16 advantage over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae then countered with a run of their own, winning the next five points, the Bobcats erased the Valkyries lead and held a 21-19 edge over Converse. The Valkyries battled back and held match point at 24-23, but the Bobcats won the final three points of the set to win the opening period 26-24.
In the early moments of the second period, the Bobcats held leads of 5-3 and 9-6 over Converse. Trailing 13-10 the Valkyries made their first run of the period and used a 5-0 spurt to take back a 15-13 edge over the Bobcats. Converse controlled the match the rest of the period and won the second set 25-17 over Lees-McRae.
In the third set, the Valkyries made the first move and opened up the period on a 4-1 run over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae countered and the Valkyries trailed 6-5 going into the middle of the set.
Converse continued to pressure on the Bobcats defense in the third and eventually held a 12-8 advantage over Lees-McRae. A 6-0 run by the Valkyries offense put the third set out of the reach as they held onto a 18-10 lead. Converse went on to win the third frame by a final score of 25-15.
Converse opened up the fourth set on a 6-2 run, before watching their lead evaporate against the Bobcats. Lees-McRae went on a 10-0 run against the Valkyries and held a 12-6 lead in the process. Converse was never able to make up the score gap in the fourth and ultimately fell 25-18 to the Bobcats.
The Valkyries opened the fifth set on a 7-2 run and seemed to be in complete control of the period. The Bobcats continued to chip away at the Valkyries lead and eventually tied the set at 12. Converse won the final three points of the period to secure the victory over Lees-McRae.
Converse finished with 79 points, 63 kills, 10 aces, 6 blocks, 59 assists, and 92 digs.
Ariel Bryant led the team with 17 kills,
Megan Carpenter finished second on the team with 16 kills and
Noemia Chiacchio finished third on the team with 15 kills.
Alysha Arroyo led the team with 35 assists on the night, while
Mackenzie Day led the team with 27 digs on the night. Chiacchio finished second on the team with 21 digs and Bryant finished third on the team with 16 digs.
Next Up:
The Converse volleyball team will be back in action tomorrow night against UNC Pembroke. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center.
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