SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The King University women's volleyball team forced a fifth set Saturday at Converse University, but the Tornado were unable to come away with a victory, falling 3-2.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Converse 3, King 2 (21-25, 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 10-15)
LOCATION: Tom & Tracy Hannah Gymnasium; Spartanburg, S.C.
RECORDS: King 7-13, 4-7 Conference Carolinas; Converse 7-14, 6-5 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- The Valkyries took an early 8-4 lead before the Tornado scored three straight, pulling to within 8-7.
- After King tied the set at 12 on a kill by Zephanie Snyder, they took a narrow lead on a Hailee Blankenship ace, going ahead 13-12.
- Converse quickly went back into the lead, eventually working their way to a 20-17 lead.
- King would score four of the next six points, pulling to within 21-20.
- The Valkyries would take five of the final six points, winning the set 25-21.
Second Set
- After Blankenship started the set with a kill, the Valkyries scored four unanswered points, taking a 4-1 advantage.
- The Converse lead reached 5-2 before King scored the next four points, with Gracia Love and Zephanie Snyder getting kills before Abigail Belcher got a service ace, putting the Tornado in front 6-5.
- Converse took a quick 7-6 lead, but the Tornado would go on a 10-3 run, opening up a 16-9 lead.
- The Tornado were able to withstand a late Converse run, as after the Valkyries got to within 21-17, King scored four of the final six points, winning the set 25-19.
Third Set
- King took an early 3-1 lead, but Converse came back, eventually taking a 5-3 lead.
- The Tornado tied the score at seven, before taking a 10-7 lead after a 5-0 run.
- The Valkyries would tie the score at 17, before King re-took an 18-17 advantage.
- Converse would then score the next four points, taking a 21-18 lead.
- After the Valkyries reached set point, the Tornado scored two, getting to within 24-22 and forcing the Valkyries to take a timeout.
- A Converse block would end the set, with Converse winning 25-22.
Fourth Set
- Converse edged their way out to an early 5-3 lead before the Tornado scored five straight points, taking an 8-5 lead.
- The Valkyries were able to tie the set at nine, before Blankenship got a kill to stop the scoring run.
- After a stretch of play that saw four lead changes and eight tie scores, the Tornado started to gain some ground, scoring three in a row to take a 20-18 advantage.
- The Valkyries were able to tie the set at 23, but King took the final two points, with Riley Nelson getting a kill and Katie Harless and Nelson teaming up for the final block, winning the set 25-23.
Fifth Set
- Converse used a early 5-0 scoring run to take a 6-2 lead.
- The lead eventually reached 12-5 before the Tornado called a timeout.
- After the break, the Tornado would score four of the next five points, getting to 13-9.
- The Valkyries scored two of the final three points to take the set 15-10, and the match 3-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship posted another double-double, finishing with 23 kills and 15 digs.
- Gabri Puertas led the Tornado back row with 27 digs.
- Katie Harless finished with 44 assists.
FOR THE FOES
- Ariel Bryant had 11 kills to lead Converse, along with six digs and a pair of block assists.
- Mackenzie Day finished with 28 digs.
- Mackenzie Schumucker had a team-high 26 assists.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will return to the Student Center Wednesday to host Concord University in a nonconference contest. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
- Converse will play at Erskine College Tuesday.
