MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Following a tough road loss on Friday night, the King University women's volleyball team responded on Saturday afternoon with a sweep at Pfeiffer University. The Tornado were tenacious on the service line and hit .316 as team, taking the sweep 25-17, 25-13, 25-18.
Earning her second start of the year, Ashleigh Manke sparked the Tornado offense with a kill to start the match before Casey Williams followed with an ace, and Sarah Collins registered a kill. Summer Kremer started and ended a 5-0 run that gave King a 9-2 lead with kills while Payton Tipton registered an ace on the run. The Falcons (0-17, 0-10 CC) got back within 12-8, but the Tornado quickly extended their lead, and Manke ended the set just as she started it, with a kill to give King the 25-17 first set win.
The Tornado (11-8, 5-3 CC) kept the offense rolling in the second set as Collins gave King a lead with a kill to start the frame. King got some breathing room with a 5-0 run that was capped by a Grace Underwood kill, giving the Tornado an 8-2 advantage. Later in the set, both Kremer and Collins register two kills, and Manke served up a pair of aces on a 7-0 run that stretched the Tornado lead to 19-8. From there, King cruised to the 25-13 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
King didn't slow down in the third set as Williams started the frame with an ace, and Olivia Underwood followed with a kill. Manke later followed with another ace to push the King advantage to 5-1 before the Tornado gradually extended their lead. King never led by less than four points the rest of the way, stretching their lead to as many as seven points before Kremer ended the 25-18 third set win with her 14th kill of the match.
Kremer led King with her 10th double-double of the season, posting team-highs of 14 kills and 10 digs. She hit .444 in the match while Collins followed with 10 kills and an attack percentage of .421. Grace Underwood chipped in with seven kills, and Manke added six for the Tornado. Olivia Underwood posted 36 assists while Tipton registered eight digs to follow Kremer on the defensive end. King posted 12 service aces in the match, and were led by Manke's four aces.
King will be in action again on Tuesday when they host Conference Carolinas foe Lees-McRae College who leads the north division. Tuesday night is also Dig Pink Night as King will be taking donations that will go to breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as they will receive free admission to the contest if they wear pink. There will also be contests and prizes throughout the match. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., in the Student Center Complex.
