WILMINGTON, N.C. — William & Mary fell to UNCW in a four-set match on Saturday at Hanover Hall, with set scores of 20-25, 25-19, 18-25, and 18-25.

William & Mary (9-14, 4-8 CAA) opened the first set with a service, but UNCW (4-18, 3-9) quickly took the lead. Despite early challenges, including multiple attack errors, the Green and Gold capitalized on service errors from the Seahawks to keep the score close. A service ace by Beatriz Silva and a kill by Olivia Westfort highlighted a resilient stretch, narrowing the margin to 19-20. However, the Seahawks maintained their advantage with consistent offensive plays, concluding the set with a 25-20 score in their favor.

The Tribe began the second set with a strong offensive run, capitalizing on an attack error by UNCW's Lauren Young and securing back-to-back kills by Nicole Smith, assisted by Silva and Avery Horejsi, to take an early 3-0 lead. As the set progressed, W&M maintained their momentum with key contributions from Katherine Arnason and Westfort, each delivering kills that extended their lead despite occasional service errors.

Midway through the set, Smith and Audrey Brcka combined for efficient scoring, while Arnason and Damisi Osibodu provided crucial blocks against the Seahawks' attacks. Despite a late rally by UNCW, capped by kills from Macy Leyda, the Tribe closed out the set decisively, finishing with a block by Arnason and Osibodu to secure the set 25-19.

W&M managed a strong start in the third set with a service ace by Horejsi and a kill from Arnason, bringing the score to a brief advantage. However, the Seahawks quickly leveled the game and soon pulled ahead due to a series of successful plays, including a service ace from Olivia Heidel. Despite W&M's efforts, highlighted by multiple kills from Brcka and Smith, the team struggled to maintain momentum as UNCW capitalized on key errors and maintained their lead. The set concluded with the Seahawks securing a 25-18 victory.

The Green and Gold began the fourth set with an early lead after Brcka scored with an assist from Silva, putting them ahead 1-0. However, UNCW responded with a series of points, taking advantage of attack errors to pull ahead 3-1. Despite efforts from Smith, who contributed multiple kills assisted by Horejsi, William & Mary struggled to maintain momentum as the Seahawks extended their lead.

W&M managed to narrow the gap with kills from Ryann Love and Arnason, capitalizing on attack errors by the Seahawks. Late in the set, William & Mary managed a brief rally with contributions from Silva and Brcka, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. The Seahawks clinched the set with a final score of 25-18, concluding the match.

STAT NUGGETS

• Brcka led W&M with 13 kills.
• Smith had 12 kills and 10 digs for a double-double.
• Silva had a career-high 19 digs along with 28 assists.
• Arnason chipped in 11 kills.
• Osibodu blocked five attempts, one solo.

UP NEXT
The Tribe is set to host Charleston on Friday, Nov. 7 at Kaplan Arena. The match will begin at 6 p.m.