BRISTOL, Tenn. —
Julie Ward recorded her 1,000th career dig Friday night as the Tornado bounced back and beat Chowan 3-1 inside the Student Center.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King University 3, Chowan University 1 (25-23, 25-15, 21-25, 25-11)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 10-7, 5-2 Conference Carolinas; Chowan 4-13, 1-6 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- The Tornado raced out to an early lead, starting the match on a 9-2 run, forcing Chowan to take timeout.
- Chowan would battle back, and even take the lead at 17-16 before an attack error tied the match at 17.
- After trading points, King finally pulled away, ending the set on a 6-4 run, including back-to-back kills from Brittney Ramsey and Ward to close things out.
Second Set
- The second set was back and forth throughout most of the set, with neither team able to get a lead larger than four points, which the Tornado did on a Ward kill that gave them a 10-6 advantage.
- King started to pull away near the end of the set, scoring five unanswered points, with Allie Zimmerman recording a pair of kills and teaming with Ramsey for an assist.
- After Chowan scored two points of their own, the Tornado closed things out on an attack error to take set 2.
Third Set
- King opened the third set on a 6-1 run, thanks to a service ace from Katie Harless and kills from Ramsey and Ward.
- Chowan tied the match a short time later on the strength of a 5-0 run.
- After the Tornado and Hawks traded points, it was Chowan who pulled away late, ending the set on a 5-1 run.
Fourth Set
- After starting the set by trading points, the Tornado kicked things into gear halfway through the set, as a kill from Ramsey kicked off what would end up being a 5-0 run to give King a 16-10 lead.
- After a single Chowan point, the Tornado went on a 8-0 run that would span the rest of the match, ending with back-to-back service aces from Georgia Davis.
- Davis finished the set with three aces, while Blankenship had five kills.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ward recorded her 1,000th career dig on the night, becoming the only Tornado in the NCAA era to have 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills.
- Gabri Puertas had 20 digs, marking the fourth straight match that she has double digit digs.
- As a team, the Tornado had an attack percentage of .260, which is their second-highest of the season.
FOR THE FOES
- Natalia Vega-Aponte had 29 digs to lead the Chowan back row, while Ellie Middleton had nine kills and three service aces.
- Chowan had a total of three team blocks, with Chloe Putnam recording a pair of block assists and a solo block.
Up Next
- The Tornado have a quick turnaround, as they will host Barton Saturday at 2 p.m.
- Chowan will also be back in action Saturday, as they face Lees-McRae in a road matchup that starts at 2 p.m.
