College Volleyball Final – Guilford 3, Shenandoah 1

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Morgan Tompkins’s career-high 15 kills led Guilford College to a 3-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) volleyball win over visiting Shenandoah University Saturday. Tompkins paced four Quakers with double-digit kill totals in Guilford’s second league match in less than 24 hours.

Guilford’s 25-27, 25-14, 25-20, 25-23 win upped its record to 7-3 (2-1 ODAC). Shenandoah slips to 4-6 (0-2 ODAC).
The Quakers served for the opening set at 24-20, but Shenandoah mounted a huge comeback to claim a 27-25 win. Kaitlyn Kelley’s kill on Guilford’s set point returned service to the Hornets. She proceeded to serve up five straight points (including two Hannah Lien kills) that gave the guests a 25-24 edge. A Christian Ritter kill knotted the score at 25-25, but a Michelle DeVito kill followed by a Quakers’ error capped a 7-1 Shenandoah run that finished the first set.

Guilford bounced back with a convincing 25-14 win thanks to a .355 team hitting percentage. An 11-4 Quakers’ run in the middle of the set opened a 21-13 lead. Tompkins had three putaways during the decisive run, which also included five Shenandoah errors.

The Hornets showed resilience in the third set as they battled from a 17-11 deficit to within 21-19. Tompkins took over with three kills over the next five points in a 4-1 Guilford run.

The fourth set looked similar as Guilford opened an 18-13 margin only to see Shenandoah rally. Caitlyn Harris and Torie Gettier both had back-to-back kills in a 6-0 run that put the Hornets ahead, 19-18. A Tompkins error put Shenandoah up 22-20, but Guilford finished with a 5-1 run that featured two of Michaela Allred’s career-high 12 kills.

Guilford’s Jessica Sheek quietly put away 13 kills on .308 hitting with two service aces and three blocks. Tompkins added four service aces to her 15 kills. Tina Eucker also served up four aces and distributed 47 assists. Casey Davis enjoyed a solid all-around match with 10 kills, a team-high 16 digs, one ace and two blocks.

Shenandoah’s Harris and Kelley shared team-high honors with 10 kills apiece. Megan Hillyard had 25 of the team’s 37 assists, plus 13 digs. Libero Nicole Shannon led all students with 22 pickups and also served two aces. Emily Cheatwood had seven kills on .375 hitting with a match-best six blocks.

Coach Emily Gann’s Quakers host William Peace University Wednesday (9/20) in a nonconference match.