BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's volleyball team won a four-set conference match over Emmanuel Friday night, winning the first two sets before the Lions took the third set before King took the fourth set to win the match.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Emmanuel 1 (25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- It was tight early, with neither team establishing a lead that was larger then two until King took a 15-12 lead in the midst of a 4-0 scoring run.
- From that point, King finished the set on an 8-5 scoring run, with Alex Barkley picking up a pair of kills, while Colton Bueter, Bryce Pickett and Sean Haberthy each had one during the scoring run.
- Barkley and Haberthy went back-to-back with their kills after King took a 23-17 lead to close the set, 25-17.
Second Set
- The Lions held a narrow lead early, which lasted until a Bueter kill put King in front 8-7.
- After Emmanuel took a 16-14 lead, King scored the next four points, including a pair of Haberthy service aces, giving King an 18-16 lead and forcing Emmanuel to call timeout.
- Late in the set, the Lions took a 23-22 lead, but King closed the set on a 3-0 scoring run, with Barkley picking up a pair of kills, as well as an assisted block with Haberthy to win the set.
Third Set
- Emmanuel scored the first five points of the set, eventually working the lead to 18-13.
- King then scored five straight points, pulling even at 18 on a Barkley kill.
- The Tornado used a Barkley kill to take a 21-20 lead, but Emmanuel closed the set on a 5-2 scoring run, forcing a fourth set.
Fourth Set
- The Lions had an early 8-3 lead before King scored four straight points, eventually pulling even at 10.
- Emmanuel re-took a narrow lead at 13-12, after which King scored five straight points, taking a 16-13 lead.
- King used another scoring run to get to match point at 24-18, but Emmanuel scored the next five points to pull to within 24-23.
- The set and match came to an end on one final kill from Bueter, with King hanging on for the 25-23 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Barkley and Bueter both finished with season-highs in kills, with Barkley leading both teams with 20, while Bueter finished with 15 kills and eight digs.
- JP Ribeiro had 46 set assists, along with 11 digs and a solo block.
- Grayson Stoudt and Haberthy both had three block assists, with Stoudt adding a solo block as well.
FOR THE FOES
- Aidan Feeney led the Lions attack with 14 kills, while Carlos Guerrero added 13, along with Emmanuel's only service ace of the match.
- Oliver Wrobel handed out 37 assists and had 15 digs for the Lions.
UP NEXT
- King will take on Erskine Saturday evening, with first serve set for 6:00 p.m. inside the Student Center.
