RALEIGH, N.C.-Campbell volleyball completed its first ever 3-0
sweep of a major conference opponent, defeating North Carolina
State (25-18, 25-15, 25-17) in the NC State Hilton RTP Classic
Saturday inside Reynolds Coliseum.
Campbell moves to 3-0 for only the third time in school history,
while the Wolfpack fall to 2-1 on the season. The Camels are 3-8
all-time against NC State, with a 3-24 mark against Atlantic Coast
Conference opponents. The win over the Wolfpack was the first for
the Camels since taking a 3-1 victory in Raleigh in 2001.
Senior middle blocker Ashley Weers continued her
stellar play in the tourney, hitting .500 with 11 kills and only
two errors on 18 attempts. Weers also posted five block assists,
moving into sole possession of eighth place on the CU all-time list
with 166.
Jupiter, Fla. native Allyson Goldbach tallied
nine kills in the contest with seven digs and three blocks, while
junior outside hitter Emily Werner tagged eight
kills, seven digs, two blocks and an ace. Caroline Hammersley, a
junior right side hitter from Raleigh, collected seven kills, on 18
attempts with only one error (.333), while junior middle Caitlin
Bendy posted five kills and four total blocks. Sophomore setter
Hope Leatigaga ended the
contest with 31 assists and nine digs, while fellow sophomore Lauren
Garza paced the Camel defense with 13 digs.
Leading the Wolfpack was sophomore outside hitter Isis Gardner, who
recorded 10 kills with three blocks. Junior setter Alex Smith
totaled 18 assists with seven digs and five kills. Rookie outside
hitter Sarah Griggs, meanwhile, registered seven kills, five digs
and two service aces.
The Camels roared out to a 5-0 lead in the opening frame, with
Werner and Leatigaga connecting on a set that found its way past
the NC State defense. The Wolfpack battled back, however, taking
the 16-15 lead. Five consecutive points by the Camels, including a
pair of kills from Goldbach, put CU up 20-16. Three more Weers
kills paced the Camels to a 25-18 opening win. Weers, a native of
Littleton, Colo., fueled CU with five kills and two block assists
for six points in the set. Goldbach also tallied five kills.
In the second set, Campbell again raced out to a five point lead at
7-3, but allowed the Wolfpack to knot the frame at seven on an Alex
Smith kill. After trading a point each to bring the game to
eight-all, the Camels closed out the set with a 17-7 spurt, putting
NC State in a 0-2 hole with a 25-15 win. Weers added to her totals
in the set, notching four more kills and a block, while Werner
matched with four kills, adding three digs and a pair of blocks.
The Camels did not commit an attack error in the frame, converting
15 of their 27 attempts for a .556 hitting rate. NC State,
meanwhile, posted a 11-6-36 line for a .139 clip. Isis Gardner led
the Pack with four kills.
Campbell continued to play clean in its clinching set, allowing
consecutive points just twice in the frame. Leading 10-6 after a
Hammersley kill, the Camels extended the game to a 17-12 score, and
held off State for the sweep. The Wolfpack ended the set with 14
total errors, while Campbell committed only six.
The Camels will conclude their portion of the NC State Hilton RTP
Classic today at 5 p.m. against Charleston Southern. CSU is 2-1 in
the tournament so far after defeating Davidson and Morgan State,
3-1 and 3-0. The Buccaneers lost their contest with the Wolfpack,
3-0.
