BELMONT, N.C. – The King University women's volleyball team closed the 2023 regular season with a 3-2 Conference Carolinas victory over Belmont Abbey College.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Belmont Abbey 2 (24-26, 25-17, 18-25, 25-21, 15-13)
LOCATION: Wheeler Center; Belmont, N.C.
RECORDS: King 10-16, 6-10 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 5-19, 5-11 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- The Tornado scored the first four points, with Zephanie Snyder getting a kill, along with three attack errors by the Crusaders.
- The Crusaders were able to rally, eventually tying the set at nine before taking a 10-9 lead.
- That lead quickly turned into 12-9, forcing the Tornado to call timeout.
- King would score six of the next eight, re-taking the lead, 15-14 on a kill by Abigale Jayne.
- After the Crusaders briefly took the lead, the Tornado would score three straight, including Morse getting a service ace to put King in front 18-16.
- After the teams traded the lead, the Crusaders eventually pulled out a 26-24 set win.
Second Set
- King took an early 5-3 lead, then used a 4-0 scoring run to take a 9-4 lead.
- The Tornado continued to extend the lead, eventually reaching 11-5 after a Blankenship kill and Crusaders attack error.
- After Belmont Abbey got to 13-9, the Tornado scored four in a row, including three straight service aces from Morse, taking a 17-9 lead.
- The Crusaders would pull to within 21-16, but King closed the set by scoring four of the final five points to even the match at one set a piece.
Third Set
- After taking an early lead, the Tornado fell behind, as Belmont Abbey raced out to an 8-4 lead, forcing a Tornado timeout.
- The Crusaders scored twice more coming out of the timeout, with the scoring run stopping when Blankenship came up with a kill, bringing the score to 10-5.
- That kicked off a Tornado scoring run, which when the dust settled was a 4-0 run, making the score 10-8.
- After the lead reached 15-10, the Tornado got back to within three at 17-14, but Belmont Abbey scored two quick points, forcing a Tornado timeout.
- The Crusaders went on a 4-1 scoring run after the break, taking a 23-15 lead before the Tornado took three straight, getting to 23-18.
- Belmont Abbey would score the final two points, winning the set 25-18.
Fourth Set
- The Crusaders took an early 6-2 lead before Riley Nelson came up with a solo block, kickstarting what would turn out to be a 5-0 scoring run that resulted in a 7-6 Tornado lead.
- After Belmont Abbey scored a point on a service error, King would score six of the next seven points, taking a 13-8 lead and forcing Belmont Abbey to call a timeout.
- Coming out of the timeout, Belmont Abbey would score five of the next six points, pulling to within 14-13.
- The lead continued to grow, with the Tornado stretching it to 21-15 thanks in part to a block by Nelson and Katie Harless.
- Belmont Abbey found a late burst, scoring four straight points to get to within 23-21, with King taking a timeout.
- King quickly scored the final two points, winning the set 25-21 and forcing a fifth set.
Fifth Set
- The Tornado took an early 4-3 lead on a block by Snyder and Clayton.
- The largest lead would be a two-point lead, which King took on multiple occasions, starting at 6-4.
- After the Crusaders tied the set at 13 late, Blankenship came up with a kill for King, putting them in front 14-13 and setting up match point.
- King would score the final point off an attack error, pulling out a 15-13 set win, and a 3-2 match win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Abigale Jayne led the Tornado with 14 kills, with Blankenship adding 13 and Chloe Clayton contributing 12.
- Blankenship finished with another double-double, adding 11 digs on the night.
- Riley Nelson and Katie Harless both had five blocks, with Harless adding 47 assists.
FOR THE FOES
- Tyler Case had 14 kills for Belmont Abbey, along with 12 digs.
- Ella Schellenberg had 44 assists for the Crusaders.
UP NEXT
- Both teams will wait and see if they qualify for the Conference Carolinas championship. Tournament pairings will be released tonight by the conference office. If the Tornado qualify, they will play either Saturday or Sunday.
