Guilford College Volleyball Breaks Out The Brooms in Home-Opening Sweep of Pfeiffer
Moore and Kaci Johnson lead charge in defense of home court
from Reagan Hune, Guilford College Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.) put together her strongest showing of the young season, piling up 16.0 points, including six on a career-high matching six service aces as the Guilford College volleyball team swept Pfeiffer University, 3-0 (25-16, 28-26, 25-20), at Jack Jensen Court in the Ragan-Brown Field House on Wednesday evening.
Guilford now stands at a 3-2 record as Pfeiffer falls to a record of 2-2.
The GC stat leaders that made the win possible were Kaci Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) who racked up a match-high dozen kills, Moore tallied ten kills with eight digs, and Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, P.R.) posted her fourth consecutive double-double, with ten kills and digs apiece. Setting the table was Maddi Page (Jonesboro, Ga.) who, after becoming the third member of the 2,000-assist club over the weekend, added 35 more to her career total on the night.
Pfeiffer’s impact players included Haedyn McGrath with eight kills, Gabby Gamma recording six kills alongside five digs, Kylee Mayberry with a team-high 15 assists, and Gabby Edwards showcasing her defensive game with team-high eight digs.
Adrenaline and home-game jitters energized the Quakers during set one in a back-and-forth battle with the Falcons. Service aces from Marie Hall (High Point, N.C.) and Moore highlighted a 7-2 run in favor of GC, that was punctuated by a combined block by the Johnson’s, Kaci and Vanessa, staking themselves to a 13-9 edge. A 7-1 stretch ensued shortly thereafter for Guilford as they continued their dominance in the service game with three of their six aces in the set during that stretch. Kills from Gamma and Madison Halsey attempted to steal the Quakers’ thunder, but it was no use, leaving the final set score to be 25-16.
During set two, Vanessa Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) set the tone early with a kill, the first of five among her five total on the evening. The two teams would trade points for the majority of the set, but with the help of Johnson & Johnson, Hall, Page, and Moore, their kills contributed to extending the lead to 18-14. Service and attacking errors along with kills from Faith Miller, Jada Thomas, and Gamma were the cause of the Falcons’ clawing comeback to even it at 20. Madison Tate and McGrath came up with kills down the stretch, but Alcantara and Moore proved pivotal in finishing out the set two win, 28-26.
In the final set of the night, Moore was locked in and exploded for seven kills in the set alone while Kaci Johnson added six. Efficiency was the name of the game with GC swinging a robust .548 in the stanza. Madison Bozarth (Greensboro, N.C.) dished out three of her four assists in set three alongside team-high ten digs. After back-to-back kills from Thomas, the Quakers swifty extended the lead to 17-12, maintaining that five-point advantage the rest of the way to take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
Guilford heads to the Raleigh Invitational next to battle against Oglethorpe University in a neutral site clash hosted by Meredith College on Friday, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m.
#GoQuakes