BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University women's volleyball team won their third consecutive Conference Carolinas match Saturday, 3-2 over Barton College.
Katie Harless posted a double-double, finishing with 23 digs and 37 assists.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Barton 2 (25-18, 14-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-10)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex, Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 6-9, 3-4 Conference Carolinas; Barton 5-11, 1-7 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- It didn't take long for King to take a large lead, going ahead 8-1, with Faith Morse getting two service aces.
- After the Tornado lead reached 14-6, Barton scored six straight points, getting to within 15-12.
- The Bulldogs eventually got to within 18-15, but King was able to hold them off, scoring the final two points to take the set 25-18.
Second Set
- Neither team was able to take a very large lead early, with Barton pulling ahead 10-8 after a 4-0 scoring run.
- After King narrowed the score to 11-10, the Bulldogs scored seven points in a row, quickly taking an 18-10 lead before a Gracia Love kill ended the run.
- The Bulldogs closed the set on a 7-3 scoring run, winning 25-14 and evening the match at 1.
Third Set
- The Tornado scored five of the first seven points, with Abigail Belcher getting two kills, with Love and Hailee Blankenship each adding one as well.
- Barton pulled even at nine, kickstarting a 5-0 scoring run that saw them take a 13-9 lead.
- The Tornado were able to stay within 16-12, but the Bulldogs then scored four straight points, taking a 20-12 lead.
- King then went on a scoring run, scoring eight of the next 10 points to pull to within 22-20.
- The teams traded the remainder of the points, with Barton taking the set 25-22 to go ahead 2-1 in the match.
Fourth Set
- After the Bulldogs took the first two points, King scored the next three, with Blankenship getting a kill to put the Tornado in front 3-2.
- Barton got a block to tie the score at eight, at which point the Tornado scored five points in a row, opening up a 13-8 advantage.
- The Bulldogs pulled back to tie the set at 16 before taking an 18-16 advantage.
- After King went ahead 22-20, the Bulldogs scored twice to tie the score, with King scoring the final three points after a kill by Blankenship and two straight Blankenship service aces to take a 25-22 set win.
Fifth Set
- Barton took an early 7-4 lead, before Blankenship again took control, getting a kill to make the score 7-5 before recording two more aces, in the midst of a 5-0 Tornado run that saw them take a 9-7 lead.
- The Tornado lead was at 11-10 after an attack error, but King took the final four points, with Harless getting a service ace before Bailey Fersner finished things with a kill, winning the set 15-10 and the match 3-0.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship finished with 14 kills, 8 aces and 10 digs.
- Harless finished with a season-high 23 digs, along with 37 assists and three block assists.
- Gabri Puertas had 22 digs, while Blankenship finished with 10.
FOR THE FOES
- Allison Gambill led the Barton attack, finishing with 15 kills and 14 digs.
- Madison Greene handed out 25 assists, with Hailey Strey adding 17.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This is the second time in her career that Blankenship finished with eight aces, tying her for second in program history for most in a single match.
UP NEXT
- King travels to rival Lees-McRae College on Tuesday. First serve from Banner Elk, N.C. is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
- Barton travels to Shaw University on Tuesday.
