ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Greensboro College Volleyball (15-2, 6-1) defeated N.C. Wesleyan (5-11, 0-6) 3-2 in a USA South match Saturday. Greensboro took the lead in the fifth set after trailing by one, then won the set 15-11 to finish the match.
Greensboro started the first set with two kills from
Larkin Baxley and one from
Payton Shiflet, all with
Grace Young serving, for a 3-0 lead before N.C. Wesleyan scored four straight to move in front 4-3. The teams traded points through a 15-15 tie, with Greensboro getting kills from
Abigail Leo, Shiflet and
Payton Wright while N.C. Wesleyan answered with several kills and a service ace. N.C. Wesleyan scored four straight from 15-15 to lead 19-15 and later reached set point at 24-19, but Greensboro pushed back on a service error, Leo kill from
Emory Johnson, and a Shiflet kill to get within 24-22. N.C. Wesleyan ended the set on a block by Kendall Gleason and Savannah Banks for a 25-22 finish.
Greensboro trailed 7-2 early in the second set before a service error and a
Madison Bozarth service run pulled the set even at 7-7, with Bozarth adding an ace and Wright putting down a kill during the stretch. After N.C. Wesleyan briefly went back ahead, Greensboro tied it at 8-8 on a service error and moved in front 9-8 when Leo was credited with a block on a Caroline York attack error. The teams traded points through 11-11 before Greensboro created separation with a Shiflet kill, a Young ace, and two N.C. Wesleyan errors to build a 16-12 lead. N.C. Wesleyan twice trimmed the margin to two late, but Greensboro answered with kills from
Skylar Rokov and Leo, reached set point at 24-19, and closed the set 25-20 on a Baxley kill from Johnson.
After the teams traded early points to 4-4, N.C. Wesleyan scored four straight behind two Sadie Schramm kills and a Chloe Baggett ace to take an 8-4 lead, and N.C. Wesleyan later held an 11-8 edge. Greensboro then scored four consecutive points, using a Leo kill, a
Dilynn Norris block, a Baxley kill, and a
Morgan Mayfield ace to move in front 12-11. N.C. Wesleyan went back ahead 13-12, but Baxley's kill and two N.C. Wesleyan attack errors gave Greensboro a 15-13 lead; the set was tied 17-17 later before Rokov's kill put Greensboro ahead 18-17. N.C. Wesleyan followed with four straight points to take a 21-18 lead, reached set point at 24-19 on consecutive Savannah Banks kills, and after a service error and Mayfield ace brought Greensboro within 24-21, a Greensboro attack error ended the set 25-21.
After N.C. Wesleyan moved in front 4-3, Greensboro answered with a Norris kill and three straight points on
Charlotte Michaels' serve, including two Leo kills and a Wright kill, to go up 7-4. Greensboro stretched the set from there, using a Baxley kill for 10-5 and, after the lead was 13-7, Mayfield's service turn produced four straight points with an ace, her kill, a Baxley kill from Mayfield and an N.C. Wesleyan error for a 17-7 lead. N.C. Wesleyan put together a late push that included kills by Savannah Banks and Kendall Gleason to get as close as 22-17. Greensboro closed the set with a block by Leo and Baxley, then consecutive Baxley kills from Johnson to win 25-17.
Greensboro moved ahead 3-1 on kills by Baxley, Shiflet and Norris, but N.C. Wesleyan scored four of the next five points and took a 5-4 lead on Lillian Rafferty's kill. After the teams traded points to 6-6, kills by Rafferty and Ashley Hinton around two Greensboro errors put N.C. Wesleyan in front 9-7, before Baxley had kills on two of Greensboro's next three points to tie the set at 10-10. An N.C. Wesleyan attack error gave Greensboro an 11-10 lead, Shiflet's kill made it 12-10, and after Sadie Schramm's kill brought N.C. Wesleyan within 12-11, Greensboro closed the fifth set on kills by
Enjoli Allen and Norris and a Schramm attack error for a 15-11 win.
Greensboro Top Performers
Larkin Baxley
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- Career-high 17 kills
- Team-high 18.5 points
- 24 assists
- 10 digs
- Posted a season-high average of 18.5 points.
- Achieved a season-high of 17 kills.
- Recorded a season-high of 24 set assists.
Morgan Mayfield
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- Team-high 46 digs
- 3 service aces
- 2 assists
- Achieved a career-high of 46 digs.
Emory Johnson
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- Team-high 28 assists
- 9 digs
Payton Shiflet
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- 14 kills
- 8 digs
- 14.0 points
Abigail Leo
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- 10 kills
- Team-high 4 blocks, including 3 solo
- 13.5 points
Grace Young
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- Totaled 16 digs, surpassing the season average of 7.94.
Up Next:
Greensboro visits Brevard College on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. in Brevard, N.C.
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