DUE WEST, S.C. –
Hailee Blankenship picked up her third double-double of the season Saturday afternoon, as the King University women's volleyball team earned their first Conference Carolinas win of the season, 3-1 over Erskine College.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 3, Erskine 1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24)
LOCATION: Belk Arena; Due West, S.C.
RECORDS: King 3-5, 1-0 Conference Carolinas; Erskine 1-9, 0-1 Conference Carolinas
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- After falling behind 2-0 early, the Tornado scored five straight points, working their way to a 5-2 lead, forcing Erskine to call a timeout.
- The Flying Fleet got back to within 7-6, but a Blankenship kill started what would turn out to be a 6-1 scoring run, opening up a 14-7 advantage.
- The Tornado were able to withstand a rally attempt by Erskine, as the Flying Fleet were able to get to within 16-12 before a pair of Tornado points ended the momentum.
- King's lead eventually reached 21-16 before the Tornado ended the set scoring four straight points to win 25-16, going ahead 1-0 in the match.
Second Set
- Erskine took control of the set early, scoring the first three points en route to taking a 11-5 lead.
- After the Tornado called a timeout, they would score five of the next six points, pulling to within 13-10.
- The Tornado continued to fight, getting to 14-12 after consecutive kills by Blankenship, though Erskine would score three in a row to go ahead 17-12.
- King was able to get to within 22-20 after a 4-0 scoring run, but Erskine was able to pull out a set win, 25-21
Third Set
- After Erskine tied the score at three, the Tornado started to build their lead, getting it up to 9-4 before an Erskine timeout.
- After the timeout, King continued their scoring run, scoring two of the first three points out of the break to take a 12-5 lead.
- Erskine was able to get to within 16-14, but the Tornado would score three straight points, making the score 19-14 on an Abigale Jayne kill.
- After the Flying Fleet got to within 23-19, King scored the final two points, including a block by Chloe Clayton and Love to end the set.
Fourth Set
- King raced out to an early 5-1 lead, eventually using a 4-0 scoring run to take a 11-6 lead, forcing the Flying Fleet to take timeout.
- The timeout didn't do much to slow the Tornado, as coming out of it they would score four of the six points, opening up a 15-8 lead and forcing Erskine to use their second timeout.
- The Flying Fleet rallied near the end of the set, going from down 20-14 to leading 22-20 before a service error ended what ended up being an 8-0 scoring run.
- Erskine would tie the score at 24 before the Tornado scored the final two points, including one final kill from Blankenship that gave King a 26-24 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Blankenship finished with 15 kills and 19 digs, marking the sixth time this season she has finished with double-digit kills. It was also her most digs in a match since Oct. 1, 2021 when she had 22.
- Belcher finished with 11 kills, with Love contributing nine.
- Katie Harless handed out 20 assists, with Kylie Love adding 16.
FOR THE FOES
- Rebecca Yohe and Ali Angell led the Flying Fleet attack, with Yohe finishing with 15 kills and Angell with 10.
- Lena Mykins had 37 assists, while Astyn Casey had 25 digs, with Mykins adding 15.
UP NEXT
- The Tornado will return to the Student Center Wednesday night to host conference rival Lees-McRae College. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
- Erskine will play their next four matches on the road, starting Friday at the University of Mount Olive.
