NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. –  The Converse University volleyball team upset top seeded Emmanuel 3-2 on Friday night at the North Charleston Athletic Center.

The historic season continues for Converse as they advance to their first Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship game on Saturday evening. The Valkyries have now tied the school record for wins in a season with 22.

Mackenzie Day finished the match with 39 digs, the third most in a single game in program history. That mark also puts her over 700 digs for the season, making her just the second Valkyrie in school history to reach the milestone stat. Ariel Bryant and Jayden Johnson both posted double-doubles in the win, Bryant finished with 14 kills and 20 digs, while Johnson finished with 16 assists and 10 digs.

Megan Carpenter led the team with 16 kills in the match and Noemia Chiacchio finished tied for second in the match with 14 kills. Chiacchio and Alysha Arroyo tied for the team lead with four aces each, while Arroyo led the team with 35 assists in the match. Tori Barr led the charge at the net on Friday night with six blocks, while Alayah Robertson finished second on the team with three blocks.

Converse came out ready to go in the opening set against the top ranked Emmanuel Lions. The Valkyries opened the period on a 6-3 run and eventually increased their lead to 9-5 against the Lions. Emmanuel to continue to hang around and eventually went on a 4-0 spurt to give the Lions their first lead of the match at 13-11. Converse countered with a run of their own and held a short 14-13 advantage.

Despite the Valkyries best efforts, the Lions tied the set at both 14-14 and 18-18 mark of the period. A few moments later, Emmanuel held set point at 24-23 over the Valkyries, Chiacchio tied the set at 24 with a kill of her own to keep the Valkyries in the set. Emmanuel won the opening set on back-to-back kills.

In the second set, Emmanuel was the team that jumped out to an early 6-3 lead over the Valkyries. This time it was Valkyries turn to answer, Converse did just that as they rallied back within a point at 7-6. Moments later the Valkyries benefited from an 8-1 run and held a 14-10 lead over the Lions. Converse eventually held a 17-12 advantage over Emmanuel, but then the Lions began to make a slow and methodical run against the Valkyries defense. Emmanuel used a 7-2 run and tied the second set at 21 all. Converse did not buckle to the Lions pressure and won four of the next five points. The Valkyries won the second set 25-22 over the Lions.

In the third set, Converse jumped out to a 5-3 advantage before Emmanuel countered with 5-0 run to put the Lions up 8-5. Once again, the Valkyries did not back down as they won the next four points to regain the lead at 9-8. The two teams then matched one another point for point until the frame was tied at 16.The Valkyries began to make their move and won four of the next five points to take a 20-17 advantage against the Lions. Emmanuel stormed back and took a 23-22 lead over the Valkyries late in the period. Bryant kicked off a 3-0 Valkyries run, as Chiacchio ended the third set with a kill for Converse.

Down to their final set, Emmanuel opened the fourth set on a 7-3 run and eventually held a 10-5 advantage over the Valkyries. Converse called a timeout to try and settle the Lions offense but it did not work. Emmanuel raced out to a 17-12 advantage and eventually held a 21-15 lead over the Valkyries. Converse came roaring back with five straight points to pull within a point at 21-20. The
Valkyries run came up just short as they lost the fourth period 25-22.

Converse came out in the fifth set refocused and re-energized as they opened the period on a 5-1 run. Emmanuel attempted to counter and pulled within a few points at 7-5. Moments later the
Valkyries used a 4-0 spurt to take a 13-7 lead over Emmanuel. Senior AC Garbade got the final kill of the night to send the Valkyries to the Championship match as Converse won the final set 15-9.  
Converse finished the match with 85 points, 64 kills, 12 aces, 9 blocks, 61 assists, and 87 digs.  

Next Up:
The Converse volleyball team will be back in action tomorrow evening at the North Charleston Athletic Center as they await the winner of the Mount Olive/UNC Pembroke matchup. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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