NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The King University men's volleyball team won the first set Friday night, but fell in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas men's volleyball tournament, 3-1 to second-seeded North Greenville. The Tornado fought back in the fourth set, going from being down 24-19 to tying the set at 24.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: North Greenville 3, King 1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-16, 27-25)
LOCATION: North Charleston Athletic Center; North Charleston, S.C.
RECORDS: King 7-21, 4-10 Conference Carolinas; North Greenville 15-8, 11-3 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- King scored three straight points heading into the media timeout, taking a 15-13 lead.
- Kills by Aiden Olson and Kellan Kennedy put King in front 20-16, forcing the Crusaders to call timeout.
- The lead reached 22-17, but the Crusaders rallied, pulling to within 22-20 before a Tornado timeout.
- A kill from AJ Drooker gave King set point at 24-22, with North Greenville winning the next point on a service error.
- Warren Davis closed the set with his sixth kill of the night, with King winning the set 25-22 to take a 1-0 match lead.
Second Set
- After a Drooker kill tied the set at three, North Greenville scored the next four points, taking a 7-3 lead.
- A 4-0 scoring run for the Crusaders saw them take a 16-8 lead, forcing King to call a timeout.
- The Crusaders would score five of the final seven points, winning the set 25-15.
Third Set
- North Greenville took an early 6-2 lead, before an Aiden Olson block and kill from Drooker pulled the Tornado to within 6-4.
- After the Crusaders extended their lead to 13-6, King scored three of the next four points to cut the lead to 14-9.
- The lead reached 19-11, though after a King timeout they scored two straight points, however the Crusaders closed the set on a 6-3 scoring run to take the set 25-16, and taking a 2-1 match lead.
Fourth Set
- After King took an early 3-2 lead on a kill by Kellan Kennedy, the Crusaders took a narrow lead, which they held until consecutive Tornado points gave them a 10-9 lead.
- A Drooker kill put King in front 16-15, but the Crusaders scored the next four points, taking a 19-16 advantage.
- North Greenville had match point, leading 24-19 when King scored three straight points, including consecutive blocks to pull to within 24-22, forcing the Crusaders to take timeout.
- Coming out of the timeout, King blocked two more North Greenville attacks, tying the set at 24 and forcing another North Greenville timeout.
- The teams continued to battle, but North Greenville eventually was able to pull in front, winning the set 27-25, and taking the match 3-1.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Davis led the Tornado, finishing with 12 kills, eight digs, a solo block and a pair of assisted blocks.
- Kennedy had 10 kills, along with team-highs in aces (2) and assisted blocks (6)
- Aiden Olson handed out 32 assists on the night, with a pair of block assists.
FOR THE FOES
- Diego Rosich was one of three Crusaders to finish in double-digit kills, recording 16 while Logan Keothavy had 13 and Mark Autry totaled 12.
- Logan Taylor handed out 49 assists on the night.
