WILMINGTON, N.C. – In a match that can only be described as a swinging pendulum of momentum, a few late runs allowed UNCW to power past William & Mary volleyball for a victory in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 29-27).
William & Mary falls to 13-14 on the season and 8-9 in the CAA as the Seahawks improve to 11-16 and 8-9.
The Tribe led the match with 11 blocks, had the Seahawks beat in the third set in hitting percentage and their nine kills in the second frame overtook UNCW's seven, but the Tribe ultimately fell in the close match in Wilmington.
Of the Tribe's 11 blocks,
Olivia Esposito had a hand in six of them, recording a solo block and five block assists, while
Eleanor Stothoff contributed four block assists of her own. The Green and Gold's leader in solo blocks added another along with a pair of block assists.
In the opening frame, the teams tied for 11 kills and 13 sideouts apiece for a set which saw 12 tied scores and seven changes in the lead.
Taylor Burrell added back-to-back kills early in the set for the first of her team-leading 10 total in the match.
The Tribe fell behind on a 4-0 Seahawks run as they gained a 22-19 lead. W&M took a timeout looking to flip the momentum back in their favor.
Back-to-back blocks from Esposito and Stothoff kept the Tribe alive at set point twice, but the Seahawks capped the first set 25-22.
Once again, the frame opened with an Esposito kill, as Burrell made an impressive save that allowed a feed from
Amy Schwem. Schwem recorded a team-best 15 assists in the contest.
Remaining neck-and-neck, much like the first set, the Tribe kept it to a one-point deficit to 9-9 tie. UNCW took control in the middle of the set, jumping out to a 16-9 lead on a 7-0 run.
In true Tribe fashion, the Green and Gold answered with a 7-0 run of their own, battling back within a single score, trailing 19-18.
Burrell prevented the Seahawks at their first set point, adding a huge kill for a score of 24-21, but UNCW ended it with a kill to take a two-set lead in the match.
Sabrina Malcolm was perfect on the attack in the final frame, hammering three kills with no errors and
Lindsay Kahren added six of her 17 digs to keep the Tribe alive in the third.
The final set featured a Tribe comeback to tie it at set point again, pushing the set score to 27-27, before the Seahawks made a pair of kills to end the match.
With Stony Brook and Charleston taking wins today, they join Towson, Delaware and Campbell as teams that have clinched a CAA Championship berth. With the sixth and final seed remaining, the Tribe look to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win in their final regular season match against UNCW at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
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