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Campbell University

Volleyball Sweeps on Day One of NC State Hilton RTP Classic, Downing Davidson, Morgan State

RALEIGH, N.C.-Campbell closed out day one of the NC State Hilton RTP Classic with a 3-2 win over Morgan State (25-18, 22-25, 25-27, 25-15, 15-5), going perfect through two games Friday inside Reynolds Coliseum. The Camels also took a 3-1 win over Davidson earlier in the day.

Campbell moves to 2-0 to start the season for the fourth time in program history (first season was in 1986), while Morgan State falls to 0-2. The last time a Campbell volleyball team began the year perfect through two games was in 2001, when the squad started 4-0 and finished the year 17-10. Campbell also went 2-0 in 1993 and 1997.

Sophomore middle blocker Caitlin Bendy totaled 15.0 points to lead the Camels, collecting nine kills on 13 errorless attempts for a stellar .692 hitting percentage. The Stony Brook, N.Y. native also tallied a career high 10 block assists, adding an ace and three digs.

Junior outside hitter Allyson Goldbach also recorded nine kills, but snagged 15 digs and two aces, while Sarasota, Fla. native Emily Werner notched her first double-double of the season, and the 13th of her career, with 10 kills and 10 digs. Senior middle blocker Ashley Weers posted nine kills with one block assist, moving from 10th to a tie for eighth all-time with Stacia Hall (1994-97) on Campbell's block assists list at 161.

Junior right side hitter Caroline Hammersley paired six kills with four blocks on the night, while sophomore defensive specialist Lauren Garza posted nine digs. The setter duo of sophomore Hope Leatigaga and junior Paige Tortorello combined for 41 assists in the contest, with Leatigaga taking 29 and Tortorello 12.

Leading the Bears was sophomore outside hitter Erin Cox, who ended the match with a game high 17 kills on 49 attempts and 10 digs. Senior outside hitter Ivanti Bush also notched nine kills, adding 14 digs, while sophomore setter Christa Rogers ended her night with 34 assists, 10 digs, five kills and four aces.

The Camels opened the match with a 25-18 win behind the play of Weers, who clocked four kills on seven errorless attempts (.571) in the frame. Hammersley and Werner added a pair of kills each, while Bendy posted two aces. Rogers, meanwhile, led the Bears, tallying six assists, four digs, two kills and two aces. Bush also posted three kills in the set.

In the second stanza, Campbell could not overcome 11 attack errors, hitting -.047 with nine kills on 43 tries. Still, the Camels led 12-9 to open the set, eventually turning over the lead, 15-14, on an Ivanti Bush kill. Still behind, 21-18, the Camels completed four of the games next five points to knot the set at 22-all. An Erin Cox kill, the last of her seven in the frame, and two Camel errors, however, sealed the 25-22 Morgan State win.

The third set saw Campbell punch through 16 kills, but nine attack errors compared to just four for Morgan State led to a 27-25 Bears win that needed extra points. Falling behind 20-13, the Camels brought the game back to 23-all on a 10-3 run bookended by a Paige Tortorello service ace. Campbell then took its first lead since 4-3, as Hammersley connected on a Leatigaga set to register one of her three kills of the frame. A Campbell error followed by another Cox kill set up a 25-24 deficit for the Camels, which Hammersley erased with another kill. The Bears then took the set in extra points, 27-25, by way of a Dominique Bozier kill and a CU error.

Campbell notched its best hitting percentage of the match in its fourth set, recording a .286 clip on 10 kills, two errors and 28 attempts, handing the Bears a 25-15 loss and tying the contest at two games apiece. Morgan State hit -.033 (8-9-30) in the set. Weers, Goldbach, Bendy and Werner all posted two kills in the frame, with Garza grabbing four digs.

The Camels owned the fifth and final set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead and keeping Morgan State at a distance, quickly taking the 15-5 win. Bendy and Werner both notched two kills each in the frame, adding a block and six digs, respectively.

The Camels will take on NC State in a 12 noon tilt tomorrow. The Wolfpack opened the day with a 3-0 victory over Morgan State, and will play Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. tonight.

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Game One Recap: Volleyball Takes Game One, Downs Davidson, 3-1

RALEIGH, N.C.-Senior Ashley Weers and junior Caitlin Bendy combined for 10 blocks, as the pair of middle hitters led Campbell to a season opening win over Davidson, 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-22, 25-12), inside Reynolds Coliseum in the first match of the NC State Hilton RTP Classic.

Campbell moves to 1-0, while Davidson falls to 0-1 on the year. The Camels improved to 7-17 all-time in season openers, with their last victorious opener coming in 2007.

Weers also collected six kills on 15 attempts with only one error, while Bendy registered four aces on the morning. Junior Caroline Hammersley notched nine kills on 29 attempts with two blocks, with freshman Jordan Reaves and junior Emily Werner combining for 11. Werner also snagged five digs and three block assists. Sophomore Lauren Garza led the Campbell defense with 12 digs. Sophomore setter Hope Leatigaga connected on 27 assists, adding five digs and a block.

The Wildcats were led by junior outside hitter Sarabeth Peele, who tallied a game-high 14 kills. Sophomores Jordan Benedict and Christine Perzinski added nine and eight kills, respectively. Junior Hayley Lawson, meanwhile, collected 36 assists, but registered seven ball handling errors, as Davidson committed 55 total miscues in the contest.

After falling behind 3-1, the Camels reeled off a 14-2 run that included 10 unanswered points, and eight Davidson errors. Hammersley led the way with three kills and one block assist, while Weers collected a pair of block solos and one kill. Leatigaga also posted eight assists with two digs. The Wildcats were led by Peele, who posted four kills and an ace in the opening set.

Despite leading the Camels in the kills category, 9-8, the Wildcats committed nine attack errors compared to just two from CU, who hit .240 as a team in the frame.

The teams tied through the first 12 points of the second frame before Davidson posted four straight points to lead, 16-12. The Wildcats took the game, 25-19, knotting the match at 1-1. Peele and Benedict posted nine of Davidson's 15 kills in the set, with Jordan Reaves leading the Camels on two kills.

In the third set, the Camels jumped out to a 13-6 lead led by three kills from Reaves. The Wildcats then closed the gap, going on a 13-7 run. After a CU timeout, Allyson Goldbach notched a pair of kills to help the Camels close out the set, 25-22, and take a 2-1 lead on the match. Goldbach registered four kills in the set to lead Campbell, while Perzinski and Peele laced a combined nine for the Wildcats.

In the fourth and final frame, Campbell notched a 20-5 lead and ended the match with a 25-12 win, taking the contest 3-1. Weers tallied three kills on as many attempts, adding a pair of blocks in the final frame. As part of 12 consecutive serves, Bendy nailed three aces in the set.

The Camels will continue play in the NC State tournament at 5 p.m., facing Morgan State. The Wildcats are slated to face Charleston Southern at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Caitlin Bendy

#12 Caitlin Bendy

MB
6' 0"
Junior
Lauren Garza

#15 Lauren Garza

DS
5' 3"
Sophomore
Allyson Goldbach

#9 Allyson Goldbach

OH
5' 10"
Junior
Jordan Reaves

#8 Jordan Reaves

OH
5' 11"
Freshman
Paige Tortorello

#7 Paige Tortorello

S
5' 9"
Junior
Emily Werner

#10 Emily Werner

OH
5' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Caitlin Bendy

#12 Caitlin Bendy

6' 0"
Junior
MB
Lauren Garza

#15 Lauren Garza

5' 3"
Sophomore
DS
Allyson Goldbach

#9 Allyson Goldbach

5' 10"
Junior
OH
Jordan Reaves

#8 Jordan Reaves

5' 11"
Freshman
OH
Paige Tortorello

#7 Paige Tortorello

5' 9"
Junior
S
Emily Werner

#10 Emily Werner

5' 9"
Junior
OH