NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Converse University volleyball team demolished UNC Pembroke 3-0 on Saturday evening to claim their first Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship inside the North Charleston Athletic Center.
With the win Converse advances to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance and they set the school record for wins in a season at 23. The win for the Valkyries also snapped UNC Pembroke's six game winning streak, as the Braves finish the season 17-18.
The Valkyries blew the doors off the gym in the opening set as they dismantled the Braves defense 25-9. Converse finished the set with seven service aces and 10 kills in the period, while they held the Braves to just five kills in the period.
The second set was tightly contested between the two squads were tied at nine through the first 18 points of the set. Converse made the first move and jumped out to a 15-11 lead over the Braves and eventually held an 18-13 advantage over UNC Pembroke late in the period. Pembroke countered winning the next four points to make it 18-17. The Valkyries held strong and won the second set 25-20.
The Valkyries started out the third set on a 5-0 run and forced UNC Pembroke to call the early timeout. The Braves came out of the break and went on a 7-1 run against the Valkyries defense. Converse rallied back with five straight points to take an 11-7 lead against the Braves. Converse continued to put pressure on the Braves and closed out the set on a 14-8 run, cruising to their first ever championship.
Converse finished with 58 total points, 39 kills, tied the school record for aces in a match with 14, 5 blocks, 35 assists, and 65 digs. Noemia Chiaccio finished with a double-double posting 15 kills and 12 digs in the match.
Megan Carpenter finished second on the team with 9 kills, and
Ariel Bryant finished third on the team with 6 kills. Bryant led the team with 16 digs and 6 service aces on the night.
Tori Barr finished with a team best 4 blocks, and
Alysha Arroyo led the team with 14 assists.
Jayden Johnson finished second on the team with 12 assists, and
Mackenzie Day finished second on the
team with 14 digs.
Ariel Bryant,
Alysha Arroyo and
Mackenzie Day were all named to the Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team. Day was named Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP for her efforts on the court this past weekend.
Next Up:
The Converse volleyball team will wait to see who they will play in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.
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