PEMBROKE, N.C. – The East Stroudsburg volleyball team opened the UNC Pembroke Invitational by splitting a pair of matches on Friday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The Warriors move to 3-3 on the season after sweeping Felician (25-8, 25-15, 25-19) in the opener before falling in four sets to Wingate (12-25, 6-25, 26-24, 25-18).
Notables vs. Felician
- Kaylee LoPresto paced the Warriors in the opener with 11 kills and 8 digs while freshmen Anna Coulter and Sydney Lewellin added 7 kills apiece
- Makayla Baca recorded a game-high 17 digs while Lewellin recorded double figures in assists with 16
- The Warriors served 11 aces as a team, led by Claire Choloux with five
- ESU outhit Felician by a wide margin of .301 (34 kills, 9 errors) to -.020 (23 kills, 25 errors)
How it Happened vs. Felician
- The teams traded points to open the first set before the Warriors caught firing, rattling off an 8-0 run to jump out to a 17-7 advantage after the score was 9-7. Felician snapped ESU's streak, but the Warriors closed out on another 8-0 sprint for a 25-8 first set victory and a 1-0 lead in the match. ESU forced the Golden Falcons into 10 errors and a -.097 hitting percentage.
- ESU carried their momentum over into the second set, racing out to an 8-3 lead. After two consecutive points from Felician sliced their deficit to three, the Warriors used a quick 3-0 spurt to force the Golden Falcons into a timeout. With the score at 11-5, the Warriors extended their advantage to eight points but not before Felician scored three straight to trim ESU's lead to 18-13. After a timeout by ESU, the Warriors closed out the frame on a 7-2 run, taking the second set 25-15 for a 2-0 advantage.
- Felician found their footing to begin the third set, jumping out in front 5-2, but not before the Warriors evened the score at 10-10. ESU got back in rhythm, scoring six of the next seven points to build a 16-11 lead. Following a timeout by Felician, the Warriors would go on to outscore the Golden Falcons, 8-6, to secure the 3-0 sweep with a 25-19 set three victory.
Notables vs. Wingate
- Coulter led ESU with nine kills while Choloux totaled seven
- Lewellin recorded 16 assists for the second consecutive match and double figures for the fifth time this season while Makela McComas added 12
- A trio of Warriors recorded 10+ digs, led by Baca with 14 followed by LoPresto (11) and Riley Kallevig (10)
- The Bulldogs (.278, 54 kills, 17 errors) held a significant hitting advantage over the Warriors (.052, 32 kills, 25 errors)
How it Happened vs. Wingate
- With the score tied at 4-4 in the beginning of the first set, Wingate used a 5-1 spurt to grab a 10-5 lead. The Warriors would cut their deficit to three on a pair of occasions (10-7, 12-9) but the Bulldogs ultimately regained a 15-10 advantage to force ESU into a timeout. Out the break, it was all Wingate as the Bulldogs would go on to outscore the Warriors, 10-2, which included the final seven points for a 25-12 set one victory.
- Wingate raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, but the Warriors clawed their way back to make the score 5-3. However, the Bulldogs dominated the rest of the way, outscoring ESU, 20-3, to secure a 25-6 set two win and take a 2-0 advantage in the match. In the set, the Warriors recorded just two kills and were forced into eight errors (-.300 hitting percentage).
- ESU pulled ahead early in the third set at 7-3 but the Bulldogs answered quickly with a 5-0 run to take a 9-8 lead. With Wingate leading 13-11, ESU used a 4-0 spurt to regain a 15-13 advantage but not before the Bulldogs scored five of the next six points to go back in front 18-16. The set of runs continued as the Warriors took advantage of several attack errors by Wingate to grab a 22-19 lead. With the frame then tied at 23-23, ESU forced the Bulldogs into a trio of errors to capture a 26-24 set three win and make the match 2-1.
- The Warriors carried that momentum over into the final frame, taking a pair of five-point advantages at 7-2 and 9-4, before Wingate scored eight of the nine points to grab a 11-10 lead. The teams traded the next several points but with the scored tied at 15-15, the Bulldogs used an 10-3 run to win the fourth set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
Up Next
The Warriors close out the UNC Pembroke Invitational tomorrow with matches against Embry-Riddle (8 a.m.) and Lenoir-Rhyne (4 p.m.)
