GC Vollebyall Splits Saturday Doubleheader

The Greensboro College volleyball team split a home doubleheader on Saturday, falling to North Carolina Wesleyan 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-14, 25-20) in the opener before knocking off Southern Virginia 3-1 (25-19, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23) in the night cap.

In the opener, the Battling Bishops of North Carolina Wesleyan took control early in the first set, rolling to a 25-18 win and a 1-0 match lead. The Pride bounced back in the second, breaking open a 20-20 tie with a 5-2 run to even the match at 1-1.

North Carolina Wesleyan rebounded in set three, racing out to an early seven point lead en route to a 25-14 win. Greensboro hung tough in the fourth set but could not keep up down the stretch, suffering a 25-20 setback as the Battling Bishops clinched the match.

Olivia Gough paced the offensive attack with 14 kills while Liz Widenhouse added ten. Cortland Phillips distributed 38 assists.

Defensively, five Pride players recorded double figure digs with Danielle Simpson picking up a match high 26. Cortland Phillips contributed 13, Gough and Widenhouse each finished with 11 and Siarra Cates contributed ten.

Greensboro rebounded in the second match against Southern Virginia, racing out to a 2-0 lead but were forced to fend off a late rally. The Pride cruised through the first two sets with ease, picking up 25-19 and 25-15 wins.

The Knights fought back in the third, holding off Greensboro for a 25-20 victory. Southern Virginia kept the fourth set interesting until the end, but The Pride proved too much in the decisive 25-23 finale.

Widenhouse notched a match high 19 kills with Gough coming in with 11. Phillips again played the primary set-up role, finishing with 35 assists. On the defensive end, Simpson had a match high 19 digs followed by Gough with 12.

Greensboro had 6.0 team blocks, with Megan Baranko tallying five block assists to lead the way.

Greensboro is now13-12 on the year with the split. Despite being a match-up of two USA South foes, the match against North Carolina Wesleyan was counted as a non-conference decision. The Pride will be in action again on Tuesday at cross-town rival Guilford for a 7 p.m. showdown.