GREENSBORO, N.C. – Cam Blankenship had a team-leading 16 kills as Guilford College volleyball defeated Washington and Lee University, 3-2, for the first time since 1997. The 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 26-14 win ended a 31-match losing skid for the Quakers against the Generals.
Guilford (9-4, 3-0 ODAC) went up 2-1 before Washington and Lee (12-3, 2-1 ODAC) rallied in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.
The Quakers took the first point of a final set that saw nine ties and two lead changes. Guilford then took its second lead of the set at 14-13 on a Khaira Bolden kill. The Generals fought back with a quick attack from Anna Soroka to tie the set once more. Guilford’s Christian Ritter responded with a kill of her own before Bolden recorded a service ace to secure the match victory.
Blankenship, Ritter and Tina Eucker had double-doubles on the night. Blankenship recorded 16 kills and 16 digs, while Eucker had a match-high 41 assists and 10 digs, and Ritter contributed 22 digs and 14 kills. Bolden added six blocks throughout the contest for the Quakers.
Leading the Generals offensively were Brynne Gould and Val Sokolow with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Soroka recorded 40 assists, while Caroline Gard added 30 digs.
The Quakers are back in action Saturday when they travel to Randolph-Macon College for an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) quad-match. Guilford will face Randolph-Macon at 11:00 a.m. and Virginia Wesleyan University at 1:00 p.m.