MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Junior setter Lauren Tharrington dished out a season-high 28 assists to help guide the Converse College volleyball team to a sweep of Chowan on Friday evening. The win was the first Conference Carolinas win of the season.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Converse 3, Chowan 0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-23)
Records: Converse (4-14, 1-3 CC), Chowan (3-6, 1-2 CC)
Location: Helms Center, Murfreesboro, N.C.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Elizabeth Yohe anchored the defense with 16 digs.
- Brittany Tepedino narrowly missed a double-double after collecting a team-high nine kills to go with 10 digs.
- Kiara Cannon had a huge night on the attack, notching five kills on eight attempts for a hitting percentage of .625.
- Jasmine Finkley turned in another impressive performance from the middle with eight kills, while hitting .533.
- Elizabeth Coffey joined Cannon and Finkley with a great swing, tallying six kills on 11 attacks. All three hitters had zero errors.
- The Valkyries hit a season-high .290 while also setting a new school record on the defensive end with 10 blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Both teams traded points and rallies during the opening set as Chowan grabbed a 5-3 lead early. After three straight points from the Valkyries, the Hawks countered with eight of the next nine, forcing a timeout by Converse.
With the score at 15-9 in favor of Chowan, Alexis Pitts demolished a kill to ignite a 7-2 burst by the Vals, closing the gap to a single point (17-16). However, Chowan continued to maintain the lead and looked poised to take the first set after going up 23-20. Following a brief hiatus, Converse came out on fire, tallying four straight points, taking its first lead since 6-5.
A service error by Converse allowed the Hawks to knot the match at 24-all, but another timely kill from Pitts and an attack error by the Hawks' Ann-Marie Johnson capped the comeback and gave Converse the 1-0 match lead.
Second Set
After an attack error by Converse allowed Chowan to even the score at 2-2, the Valkyries ripped off a huge 8-0 run to seize control of the scoreboard in the second frame.
Chowan narrowed the gap to 14-8 but Converse proved too strong, demolishing the Hawks by a score of 25-13 in set two, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Set Three
Converse took a quick 2-0 lead, but Chowan responded with six of seven to build a 6-3 lead. The Valkyries battled back to knot the frame at 7-all and 11-all before taking another two-point advantage following a pair of attack errors from the Hawks.
With the score at 17-16 in favor of the Purple and Gold, a 3-0 mini run gave Converse a late 20-16 lead. However, Chowan, trying to force a fourth set, put together one last run, trimming the deficit to 24-23. Finkley put an end to that run and the game with a kill in the middle, giving Converse the 3-0 sweep.
Up Next
The Valkyries will make the quick turnaround, traveling to Wilson, N.C. to face Barton tomorrow afternoon. That contest is slated to begin at 2 p.m.