Greensboro NC – Greensboro Volleyball team delivered a breathtaking performance as they faced off against William Peace Pacers in a highly anticipated showdown during their first Tri-match of the season. The Pride, entered the contest as having a slight edge, but the Pacers came to Hanes Gymnasium with a point to prove, knowing that a win would catapult them into first place in the conference standings.
From the first whistle, it was evident that this match would be a tightly contested affair, with both teams trading blows point for point throughout the entire match. The Pacers were relentless, matching the Pride's intensity, and the gym was alive with the energy of two determined teams. The turning point of the match occurred during Grace Klingensmith showcasing her serving prowess, delivering four aces that helped the Pride pull away for a thrilling victory.
At the net, Jade Vrobel, Krista Brantley, and Kelci Brooks proved to be a formidable force, tallying a combined total of 8 blocks that posed significant challenges for William Peace's offensive efforts.
Jaylyn Templeton, continued ro played a pivotal role as the orchestrator of team points, dishing out 44 assists to her teammates. Payton Shiflet (19 kills), Krista Brantley (12 kills), and Kelci Brooks (9 kills) executed flawlessly, resulting in a total of 55 kills for the Pride.
Defensively, the Pride displayed equal tenacity. Payton Shiflet led the way with 29 digs, while Morgan Mayfield contributed 23 digs and Lauren Mantel added 18, preventing William Peace from gaining easy points.
The match was a rollercoaster ride, with both teams displaying incredible resilience and skill. Greensboro College ultimately emerged victorious, winning three out of the four sets with match scores of 22-25, 22-25, 26-25, and 15-25. The Pride's ability to maintain their composure during crucial moments and their relentless pursuit of victory were the defining factors in this remarkable match.
Mary Baldwin
Before the match started Head Coach Kevin Troup stated, "even though we already won a match today, we understand that we still have work to do".
The first set started out exactly how the Pride wanted, they were able to win four out of the first five points and would not slow down. The Pride jumped out to huge 10-2 lead, keeping the early momentum going and forcing Mary Baldwin to use a timeout. The Pride would keep rolling and extend the lead to 16-5 with great defense from Morgan Mayfield and deadly spikes from Payton Shifflet. The addition of Payton Shifflet (back from injury) has jolted the Pride offensively as the sophomore is leading the USA South in points per game and kills since returning to the court. The Pride easily took care of business in the first set, winning 25-13.
In the second set, the Pride kept their foot on the gas and got out to another early big lead. With the Pride leading 8-1, Mary Baldwin was forced to again call an early timeout in an attempt to slow Greensboro down. Coming out of the timeout the Pride would earn back to back service aces before the Squirls were able to go on a run to try and get back into the set. The Squirls would fight all the way back to get within two points of the Pride at 12-10. This mid set comeback by the Squirls would not be enough as the Pride were able to regain control of the game. With great offensive play from Kantley McKown and Abby Hancock the Pride would extend the lead to 18-12. The Squirls would not go away quietly, going on another timely run to make the scoreline 21-19. Despite the comeback efforts the Pride were able to stay composed and win the second set 25-20.
The third set to start out would go back and forth through the first eight points leading to a 4-4 tie. Greensboro would then be able to start playing their game, earning aces and big time kills to take a commanding 11-4 lead. This unanswered run for the Pride would be sparked by Taylor Cotie and Jaylyn Templeton due to their great play in the middle. Mary Baldwin would again claw their way back into the set to make the scoreline 14-10 at the halfway point. The Squirls run would be stopped again by Taylor Cotie as she continued to dominate. The sophomore had two hard hit kills and a key block to swing the moment back to Greensboro. The Pride would use this momentum to go on another big run and make the score 20-13. Mary Baldwin would desperately try and get back into the set, but the Pride would hold on for the 25-17 win.
The Pride were able to dominate the match and walk out of Hanes Gym with another conference sweep. In total the Pride went 2-0 in their matches this afternoon and only lost one set out of the seven they played. The Greensboro Volleyball team will be back in action on October 3rd as they travel to Brevard College for another USA South conference matchup.
