BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Bailey Fersner recorded a career-high 19 kills, while
Katie Harless had a career-high 55 assists as the King University women's volleyball team picked up a 3-2 win Wednesday night over Concord University.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Concord 2 (20-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 15-9)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 8-13; Concord 14-11
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Concord scored the first four points, and five of the first six to take an early 6-1 lead.
- The Mountain Lions lead would eventually reach 9-2 before the Tornado scored three straight, making it 10-5.
- The Tornado scored three more coming out of a timeout, pulling to within 12-8.
- After the Concord lead reached 22-14, the Tornado came storming back, going on a 6-2 scoring run to close the gap to 24-20.
- The Mountain Lions would take the set 25-20 after a kill, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
Second Set
- King took nine of the first 10 points, with Hailee Blankenship and Fersner each getting two kills as King went ahead 9-1.
- The lead continued to grow, eventually reaching 12-3 before Concord pulled to within 13-9.
- Concord did manage to close the gap to just 18-16, but the Tornado closed the set by scoring the final seven points.
- Included in the set-ending scoring run was two Fersner kills, along with a service ace by Paula La Mendola, with King taking the set 25-16, evening the match at one.
Third Set
- The teams traded points early, with King holding a brief 6-5 lead early.
- Concord quickly retook the lead 7-6, stretching it to 11-7 thanks to a 6-1 scoring run.
- After the Mountain Lions stretched the lead to 14-8, the Tornado started to claw their way back, scoring four straight points, including consecutive service aces by Harless.
- King continued to close in on the Mountain Lions, using a 3-0 scoring run to pull to within 20-19.
- Concord would go to set point, up 24-20, but King didn't make it way, as the Tornado scored a pair of points, including a solo block by Chloe Clayton that pulled them to within 24-22.
- The Mountain Lions would eventually take the set 25-22, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
Fourth Set
- King raced out to an early 4-2 lead, before the Mountain Lions scored four straight points to pull in front, 6-4.
- The Tornado were able to tie the set at six, but Concord then went on a 5-2 scoring run, re-taking an 11-8 advantage.
- A short time later, King would tie the set at 13 on the heels of a 4-1 scoring run.
- The Tornado would take the lead at 16-15 off a block by Fersner and Riley Nelson, eventually working to a 19-16 lead.
- King's lead reached 22-18 off a Blankenship kill, but a scoring run for the Mountain Lions tied the score at 22.
- King would take the final three points, with Blankenship picking up a pair of kills en route to the 25-22 set win.
Fifth Set
- Concord went ahead 4-1 early before the Tornado started to rally, getting kills by Blankenship and Abigale Jayne to pull to within 4-3.
- The Mountain Lions pulled ahead 7-4, but the Tornado responded by scoring seven in a row, with Nelson getting three kills to make the King lead 11-7.
- Concord pulled to within 12-9, but the Tornado scored the final three points of the match, all of which coming via Blankenship kills to win the set 15-9, and the match 3-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship led the Tornado with 23 kills and 16 digs.
- Katie Harless had a career-high 55 assists, along with 14 digs. The 55 assists is tied for second-most in program history dating back to becoming an NCAA Division II school.
- Fersner had a career-high 19 kills
FOR THE FOES
- Chloe Thompson led the Mountain Lions with 19 kills, while Kyndra Pilant had 14.
- Declyn Tooze handed out 26 assists, with Paige Richmond adding 22.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will play at Francis Marion University Friday night at 7 p.m.
- Concord will also play on the road Saturday, facing Fairmont State.
