KENNESAW, GA.-Ashley Weers unloaded 16
kills and six blocks, leading Campbell volleyball to a 3-1 (25-22,
25-19, 24-26, 25-10) win at Kennesaw State, its third straight
Atlantic Sun victory Saturday afternoon inside the KSU Convocation
Center.
The Camels move to 8-4 on the year with the win, and 3-1 in league
action, while Kennesaw State falls to 7-3, with a 2-2 A-Sun mark.
The Camels 3-1 A-Sun start is their best since 2000, when CU went
5-1 to begin league play. The last time Campbell won three straight
conference matches was 2001, when the Camels took five in a row,
including four regular season matches and one A-Sun Tournament win.
The streak was part of a 6-0 run from Nov. 2-16 of that year.
Weers 16 kills, a season high, came on 22 attempts with just one
error for a .682 rate. With an ace as well, the senior middle
blocker totaled 20 points. Weers averaged 3.86 kills per set with a
.481 attack percentage on the weekend, adding 1.57 blocks a
frame.
Junior outside hitter Emily Werner, who posted 3.00
kills per set to aid CU's 2-0 weekend, also registered double-digit
kills with 10, adding eight digs and five blocks. Junior right side
hitter Caroline Hammersley recorded
nine kills on 20 attempts with just two errors for a .350 hitting
percentage. The Raleigh, N.C. native also clocked two aces and a
pair of blocks with three digs.
Freshman Jordan Reaves and junior Allyson
Goldbach combined for nine kills. Goldbach, an outside hitter
from Jupiter, Fla., also notched three of Campbell's 10 service
aces, tying a season high. Sophomore setter Hope Leatigaga recorded
37 assists on the day, adding 11 digs, two blocks, two kills and
two aces. Senior defensive specialist Sarah Hill paced the Campbell
defense with 14 digs.
The duo of junior Sabrita Gulley and senior Asjia Stokes fueled the
Owls in the loss, scoring 21 and 18 kills, respectively. Gulley
added 11 digs while Stokes posted 10. Senior right side hitter
Chelsey Denesha was a third Owl with double figure kills,
registering 10 on the day. The three combined for 49 of the Owls'
57 team kills. Sophomore setter Rachel Albright ended the afternoon
with 36 assists and 17 digs, while senior libero Selena O'Leary
grabbed 18 digs.
In the first frame, the Camels built a 15-10 lead, but KSU closed
the gap with a 6-1 run, that included three kills from Gulley,
taking a 17-16 lead on a Campbell attack error. CU finally took the
advantage at 21-20 on a Weers score, and claimed the frame 25-22.
Gulley highlighted the KSU attack, recording nine kills.
The second stanza saw the Camels take a 2-0 lead in the match with
a 25-19 victory, establishing a .312 hitting percentage on 13 CU
kills. Goldbach registered all four of her kills and all three of
her service aces in the set, while Weers and Werner tagged three
kills each.
Kennesaw State would avoid the sweep in the third frame, as Gulley
and Stokes registered seven kills apiece to lead the Owls to a
26-24 win. Leading 22-17, the Owls surrendered seven of the next
nine points to knot the set at 24-all. A Gulley kill and a CU error
gave the Owls their set win. Weers matched the KSU pair with seven
kills, adding an ace and a block for the Camels.
The Camels surrendered only 10 points to the Owls, coasting to a
25-10 match-clinching win. Campbell slugged for a .435 (11-1-23)
attack percentage in the frame, while KSU hit only -.036 (8-9-28)
in the loss. Hammersley posted five kills in the frame to lead the
Camels.
The Camels will return home on Tuesday, facing in-state rival East
Carolina at 7 p.m. inside the John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation
Center.
