WILSON, N.C. – For the second straight night and third straight match the Converse Volleyball team walked out of the gym with a sweep of their opponent, this afternoon's victim was Barton College.
Converse is now 8-3 overall this season and 2-0 in Conference Carolinas action for the first time since the 2022 season. Going back the last 15 years the Valkyries are off to their best start, and if the season were to end today the Valkyries eight wins would be the third highest win total over that same span. The Valkyries are one of just two teams in all of Conference Carolinas to reach eight wins this season, as they sit atop the Northwest Division Standings.
Meanwhile, Barton falls to 1-7 overall and 0-2 in Conference Carolinas play. The Bulldogs have now lost four in a row and rank second to last in the Eastern Division.
Barton opened the first set on a 4-1 run, but Converse stayed poised as they kept within striking distance of the Bulldogs. Trailing 8-6 in the opening frame, Converse made their first move of the set, rattling off eight straight points to take a 14-8 advantage over Barton. Two points later and the Valkyries used a 9-0 run to take a 23-10 lead over the Bulldogs. A late surge by Barton was not enough to overcome the Valkyries lead, as Converse took the opening set 25-16.
The second set was a lot tighter between the two teams as neither one yielded an inch in the opening moments of the stanza. Trailing 16-14, Converse once again used a key 4-0 offensive run to gain the momentum once more again Barton. The Valkyries closed out the second set on a 6-2 run and won the period by a final score of 25-20.
Barton won the first three points of the third set, before Converse won the next six points to steal the momentum away from the Bulldogs. Then it was Barton's turn to counter with a run of their own and they answered the Valkyries offensive outburst with a 6-2 run of their own. Trailing 18-16 the Valkyries made their move late in the third set. Converse finished the match on a 9-1 run to complete their third consecutive sweep.
Converse finished with 57 points, 43 kills, 11 aces, 3 blocks, 38 assists, and 52 digs.
Noemia Chiacchio posted a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs. Chiacchio also led the team with seven aces in the match.
Megan Carpenter finished second on the team with nine kills and
Ariel Bryant finished third on the team with seven kills.
Alysha Arroyo led the team with 23 assists and
Jayden Johnson finished second on the team with 12 assists. Bryant led the team with 18 digs, while
Mackenzie Day finished third on the team with eight digs.
Next Up:
Converse will stay on the road this week with a trip to Southern Wesleyan on Wednesday evening. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
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