SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University volleyball team defeated King 3-1 on Wednesday night inside the Weisiger Center.
With the win the Valkyries improve to 15-9 overall and 12-3 in Conference Carolinas action. Converse is now 7-1 in home games this season and they are currently riding a four match winning streak. King falls to 10-13 overall and 5-11 in Conference Carolinas play.
The Tornado jumped out to a 4-1 lead over the Valkyries in the first set before Converse rallied back and tied the match at four. A few moments later, King had built a 12-9 lead over the Valkyries and eventually held a 20-13 advantage over Converse. The Valkyries made a hectic late rally against the Tornado but fell just short as King took the opening set 25-22.
In the second set the Valkyries came out swinging as they built an 11-4 advantage over King. Converse eventually built a 15-7 lead before King made a small run to pull back within striking distance of the Valkyries. Despite the Tornado best efforts the Valkyries cruised to a 25-20 second set win.
Converse jumped out to a 6-2 lead over King in the third set but saw their lead dwindle almost instantly. The two teams went back-and-forth for the remainder of the set and were deadlocked at 19 late in the period. Converse closed out the third set on a 6-1 run and won the period with a final score of 25-20.
The fourth set remained competitive between the two squads as they were deadlocked through the first 28 points. Converse made the first move and built an 18-15 advantage against the Tornado. King rallied with a 5-0 run and stole the lead and the momentum back from the Valkyries. Trailing 23-21 the Valkyries stepped up and tied the set at 23, on the very next point the Valkyries had to fend off a set point opportunity by the Tornado. Converse then held match point at 25-24 and watched the Tornado tie the set at 25. Converse then scored the next two points to win the set by a final score of 27-25.
Converse finished with 77 points, 57 kills, 8 aces, 12 blocks, 55 assists and 69 digs.
Alayah Robertson led the team with 14 kills,
Ariel Bryant and
Ella Ruckman finished second on the team with 12 kills each.
Alysha Arroyo and
Samiya Bolton both finished with a team high three service aces.
Alayah Robertson had a team best five blocks, while
Ariana Bryant and Arroyo each had four blocks. Arroyo led the team with 32 assists and
Emma Blackstar was second on the team with 18 assists.
Scarlett Xiong led the team with 27 digs and
Bree Lyons was second on the team with 10 digs.
Next Up:
Converse will stay at home this weekend and face North Greenville on Saturday afternoon. Opening serve is slated for 12:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center. Senior Day festivities will begin a few minutes prior to opening serve.
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