BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team won the final three sets of a five-set thriller Friday night in Mountain East Conference action inside the Rockefeller Center.
Concord (9-15, 4-6 MEC) dropped the first two sets 25-23, 25-21 before storming back to win the final three games 25-20, 25-18, 15-10 over the Bobcats (5-17, 2-8 MEC).
WVWC hit over .250 in each of the opening two games to grab a 2-0 lead. However, the Mountain Lions hit over .225 in the next two games to send the match to a decisive fifth set.
Maintaining a lead through the early stages of set three, Concord used a 5-0 run at 9-6 to separate itself in the game. During the spurt, freshman outside hitter
Hailey Buchanan had two of her team-high 12 kills while freshman middle hitter
Amber Hall and junior outside hitter
Kirsti Pouncy each added a kill. WVWC got back within three points, 18-15, but CU finished off the set.
The Mountain Lions jumped out 6-2 in the fourth set on the strength of four combined kills from sophomore middle hitter
Sheridan Herron and sophomore outside hitter
Camryn Huber. However, Concord found itself down 12-10 even with the opening run. But, CU had one more fourth-set spurt in it as it scored eight straight points in route to evening the match at 2-2. Buchanan came up with two more kills in the stretch.
In the fifth set, Herron and Pouncy got Concord out to a 6-1 lead with two kills each, but WVWC came back to tie the set at 7-7. However, Huber notched two straight kills as the Mountain Lions held off Wesleyan for a five-point win and a match win.
Friday was the first time all season Concord has erased a 2-0 deficit and come back and won.
Huber (11 kills) and Herron (10 kills) joined Buchanan in double figures. Senior setter
Jenna Mounts recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 27 assists and 11 digs.
Junior defensive specialist
Lindsay Maddox pitched in 22 digs.
CU faces Davis & Elkins 1:00 p.m. Saturday in an MEC road contest.
