BELMONT, N.C. – The King University women's volleyball team closed the regular season with their third straight road match, coming at Belmont Abbey College. The Crusader offense was too much for the Tornado to keep up with as King dropped the match 3-0.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Belmont Abbey 3, King 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-21)
LOCATION: Wheeler Center, Belmont, N.C.
RECORDS: King 15-14, 10-8 Conference Carolinas; Belmont Abbey 9-20, 9-8 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- The teams went back-and-forth early as a Hailee Blankenship kill pulled King within 5-4 and ended a 3-0 Belmont Abbey run.
- The Crusader run continued, however, scoring five straight points and eight of the next 10 to take a 13-6 lead.
- Belmont Abbey held the lead there, eventually taking the set 25-16.
Second Set
- Paula La Mendola served up a pair of aces on a 4-0 King run that was started by a Julie Ward King.
- The Tornado led 9-6 following the spurt, but Belmont Abbey chipped away at the deficit.
- The Crusaders later evened the score and took the lead with a 7-0 run, opening up a 17-12 advantage.
- King couldn't recover, and Belmont Abbey scored the final three points to take the set 25-18.
Third Set
- Georgia Davis and Caroline Cable recorded kills before a Hannah Rogers ace on a 4-0 King run that gave the Tornado a 7-5 lead.
- The teams then traded the lead a couple times before a 5-1 Tornado run later in the set, capped by three straight points.
- Kara Mille registered two kills around a Cable ace, giving King a 19-15 lead.
- King later led 21-17 before Belmont Abbey went on a run to close the set and the match.
- The Crusaders scored the final eight points, winning the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ward, Brittney Ramsey and Cable led King with six kills each.
- Ward added 10 digs and Cable accounted for eight digs.
- Claire Wilson led the defense with 13 digs.
- Ramsey posted six blocks, three solo.
- Davis handed out 13 assists and Katie Harless accounted for 12 helpers.
FOR THE FOES
- Caitlyn Faber led Belmont Abbey with 15 kills and 11 digs. She hit .452 in the match.
- Hailey Ryan added 11 digs.
- Paige Rawlins handed out 28 assists and added nine digs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Cable set career-highs with six kills and eight digs.
UP NEXT
- King will host the opening two rounds of the Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship on Saturday. The third-seeded Tornado will take on the winner between the fourth and Lees-McRae College and fifth seed Erskine College.
- The Lees-McRae-Erskine match will start at 2:00 p.m. in the Student Center Complex before King will face the winner at 5:00 p.m.
- Belmont Abbey will travel to the University of Mount Olive to take on Barton College. The winner with then face Mount Olive.
