WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A stellar performance from senior Sydney Biniak propelled the William & Mary volleyball team to a gritty 3-1 (24-26, 19-25, 25-23, 24-26) triumph over Colonial Athletic Association rival UNCW in its Dig Pink Match on Friday evening. Biniak slammed 25 kills and registered an incredible .512 attack percentage to lead the Tribe (4-17, 1-6 CAA) past the Seahawks (7-12, 1-6 CAA).
 
W&M came out firing on offense after hitting over .300 in the first two sets to take a 2-0 match lead. The Green and Gold battled through 16 ties and five lead changes to outlast UNCW in extra points in the first period. The Tribe maintained its potent offense in the second set, recording a .325 attack percentage and leading by as many as nine points.
 
The Seahawks held off a Tribe rally n the third set to prevent a sweep. A 4-1 run allowed UNCW to build a five-point advantage at 19-14. The Tribe answered with a 6-1 spark to close the gap to 24-23, but the Seahawks claimed the stanza behind the swing of Maddy Kline.
 
In the fourth set, three quick Biniak kills allowed the Green and Gold to take an early 4-0 lead. However, the Seahawks responded with another four unanswered points and held a 10-8 advantage at the mid-point. The Tribe found itself facing a four-point deficit, before three Biniak hammers highlighted a 5-1 jolt that granted W&M a 23-21 edge. UNCW's Sydney Brock nailed a kill to pull even at 24-all, but a Seahawks' attack error and a big-time combination block from junior Heather Pippus and freshman Julia Brown sealed the victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
- As a team, W&M finished with a .300-plus attack percentage in its second consecutive match, both efforts resulting in wins. The Tribe hit .333 in a sweep of in-state foe Norfolk State on Tuesday night.
- The Tribe edged the Seahawks in blocks 9-to-7. The Green and Gold has totaled at least eight stops in four straight matches. Brown led the way with a match-best six rejections.
- Biniak earned 11 of her 25 kills in the match-deciding fourth set. It's her third time this season exceeding 20 kills. Additionally, the four-year captain has hit over .500 in back-to-back matches.
- Pippus and rookie Kate Dedrick also recorded double-digit kills to contribute to the offensive fireworks. Pippus spiked 12 kills and Dedrick added 10 more.
-  Sophomore Autumn Brenner earned her second double-double of 2017 behind 23 assists and 10 digs.
- Junior Katie Kemp dished out a match-high 36 assists, which also represents a season-best for the setter.
- Away from the net, senior Sara Zumbach led all players with 23 digs to go along with a pair of aces.
  
Notes
The Tribe surpassed its goal of raising $1500 to go toward breast cancer research as part of the Dig Pink Initiative…W&M advances its all-time series lead over UNCW to 51-12, including a 23-5 mark in Kaplan Arena…Furthermore, head coach Melissa Ferris is 2-1 agianst the Seahawks in her two-year tenure….Biniak's 25 kills rank fourth in school history in four-set matches, while her 27 points tie second…The Elkridge, Md., native is also 14 shy of reaching 1,000 career kills...Sophomore Casey Foote recorded a career-best 22 digs and added eight kills.
 
Up Next
The Tribe concludes a three-match homestead with the CAA's second-best College of Charleston on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 pm.