CHARLESTON, S.C. - William & Mary volleyball suffered a 3-0 (18-25, 22-25, 21-25) setback at Charleston on Saturday afternoon.
Junior
Nicole Smith and sophomore
Audrey Brcka led the Tribe with eight kills each, while sophomore
Katherine Arnason added seven.
Junior
Olivia Esposito led the Tribe defense with seven blocks, and classmate
Lindsay Kahren had 14 digs. Senior setter
Bella Easton recorded a double-double with 13 assists and 12 digs.
The Tribe jumped out to an early lead in the opening set with three-straight points. CofC responded with four in a row as part of an 8-2 run to move in front. Emily Bannitt led the charge with three kills before back-to-back blocks gave the home team a 9-5 lead.
The Cougars used another four-point run in opening up a 20-14 lead on the way to taking the first set, 25-18.
Like it did in the opening set, W&M jumped out to a lead, this time 4-1, in the second thanks to a
Sabrina Malcolm ace and a block from
Maddie Meyers and Esposito.
Charleston surged in front in the second behind an 8-1 run. A trio of Cougar blocks highlighted the spurt to push the home team advantage to 11-9.
With the set even at 14, the Cougars scored four in a row to take the lead. The Tribe closed to within 20-19 with three-straight points capped by a Meyers kill. CofC answered with three of its own in a row, including two blocks and a Bannit ace, to retake a 23-19 advantage on the way to a 25-22 set win.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle until Charleston scored three in a row to take a 19-15 lead on back-to-back Bannit kills.
The Tribe closed it to within 21-20 behind a 3-0 run capped by a Brcka kill. Charleston won four of the final five points of the match and closed it out with a block.
Charleston finished with 16 blocks on the day, led by nine from Caitlyn Callahan, while Bannit had 14 kills.
Up Next
The Tribe returns to action when it host UNCW for a pair of matches next weekend. W&M faces the Seahawks on Saturday, Oct. 26, and Sunday, Oct. 27, both at 1 p.m. in Kaplan Arena. Both contest will be broadcast on FloCollege.