BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Warren Davis recorded a career-high 21 kills Saturday afternoon as the King University men's volleyball team outlasted a stiff challenge from Erskine, winning the match 3-2.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Erskine 2 (27-25, 25-19, 24-26, 22-25, 15-8)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 8-8, 3-0 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 4-7, 1-2 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- Erskine took an early 6-3 lead, but a service error and kill by Jackson Carroll brought the Tornado back to within 6-5.
- The Tornado eventually tied the set at eight, but Erskine then scored three straight points to re-take the lead, 11-8.
- Kellan Kennedy picked up a kill to make the score 11-9, and starting a 4-0 King run that saw them take the lead, 12-11.
- The lead would eventually reach 18-15, but Erskine trimmed it down and tied the set at 18.
- The teams would trade the lead up until 25-25, where Carroll and Davis went back-to-back on kills to take the set, 27-25.
Second Set
- King took an early lead in the second set, going up 5-1 off a pair of kills from Davis and a series of attack errors by the Flying Fleet.
- Erskine would rally back and get to within 8-7, but a service error prevented them from tying the set.
- After the Flying Fleet pulled to within 12-11, the Tornado scored four consecutive points to extend the advantage to 16-11.
- The lead was sitting at 22-18 when an attack error gave King a 23-18 lead, which they quickly closed out, with AJ Drooker picking up the final kill to win the set 25-19.
Third Set
- The Tornado scored five straight points to take an 8-2 lead, with Kennedy getting a service ace.
- After King went ahead 12-9, Erskine scored five in a row to take a 14-12 lead of their own, with the run coming to an end on an attack error.
- King fought back, eventually tying the set at 21 and taking a 24-23 lead on a kill from Drooker.
- Erskine would score the final three points of the set, taking it 26-24.
Fourth Set
- After the Flying Fleet took a 4-2 lead, King scored three in a row to go ahead 5-4.
- Erskine would re-take the lead, 9-8 before a stretch of three points in a row gave the Tornado the 11-9 lead.
- The lead would eventually reach 19-16 off another kill from Davis, but Erskine came back and tied the set at 19.
- The Flying Fleet would go on to take a 22-20 lead, which quickly evaporated after a kill from Kennedy and a block by Carroll and Kennedy tied thing sup at 22.
- Erskine would score the final three points of the set to win 25-22.
Fifth Set
- The Tornado scored the first three points of the set, with Drooker, Kennedy and Davis all picking up kills.
- After Erskine got to within 6-4, the Tornado scored four points in a row, taking a commanding 10-4 lead.
- King's lead would reach 12-5, before a pair of Erskine points brought them to within 12-7.
- The Tornado would score three of the final four points, with Kennedy closing the match with another kill, sending the fans home happy with a 15-8 set win, and a 3-2 match victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Davis finished with a career-high 21 kills, along with six digs on the afternoon.
- Kennedy finished with 14 kills, with Carroll adding 13 and Drooker contributing 12.
- Jack Sarnowski had 61 set assists, marking the second time this season he has handed out 60+ assists in a match.
FOR THE FOES
- Kacper Rybarczyk had 20 kills to lead the Flying Fleet, with Jason Sall adding 18.
- Francisco Pomar led the back row with 11 digs, while Alex Ruiz had 10.
- Pomar also had 53 set assists in the match.
UP NEXT
- King will start a five-match roadtrip on Tuesday at Lees-McRae, with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
- Erskine will continue their road trip Friday at Barton.
