Concord Finishes off Perfect Weekend with Wins Over Pikeville, Bluefield State

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team defeated Pikeville 3-1 and swept Mercer County rival Bluefield State 3-0 in the final matches of the Concord Classic Saturday evening at the Carter Center.
 
Game One: Concord 3 – Pikeville 1 (26-28, 25-11, 25-14, 25-22)
 
Set 1
The Bears took an early 6-3 lead in the set, but back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Meg Williams and sophomore outside hitter Chloe Thompson put CU (5-8) within one. Sophomore setter Paige Richmond served an ace and senior middle hitter Kyndra Pilant followed with a kill to stay within one, 10-9. CU would seize the lead when a 5-0 run sparked by two aces from sophomore setter Declyn Tooze gave Concord a three-point edge, 17-14. The teams traded points, but it was UPike that took a 1-0 match lead, 28-26.
 
Set 2
Sophomore right side Natalie Brown and Pilant got the Mountain Lions going in the second frame, each swinging for a kill and assisting on a block to maintain a 5-2 margin. Then, Williams connected on back-to-back kills to grow the lead to four. The Maroon and Gray would go on a four-point swing, as well as consecutive three-point runs to close out the set 25-11. Williams led the attack with six kills in the frame while Brown and Thompson added three kills each. Also, CU hit for a collective .467 hitting percentage in the game.
 
Set 3
Thompson, Brown, and Williams collaborated to give Concord the first five points of the set, 5-0. Sophomore defensive specialist Allie Davis served an ace that grew the advantage to 10-6. Pilant hit for another kill and served an ace to lead by seven, 17-10. Then, Davis swung for her first collegiate career kill in 54 tries to stop a Bears run, 19-12. The Mountain Lions took a 2-0 lead when they scored the last four points in order fronted by blocks from sophomore middle hitter Jasmine Anderson, Thompson, freshman middle hitter Maddie Stull, and Pilant.
 
Set 4
Both teams jockeyed for position early, but it was a service ace from freshman setter Rylee Wise that broke the tie, 6-5. Thompson and Williams added kills to keep CU ahead, 8-7. After UPike would charge in front, Brown hit for back-to-back kills to knot the score 14-14. Then, Concord scored six straight points that included kills from Pilant and Thompson, as well as another ace from Davis. Williams had the final say, clubbing the last point of the match and earning the win for the Mountain Lions, 25-22.
 
Match Stats
Williams (19), Thompson (17), Pilant (10), and Brown (10) all notched double-digit kills in the match. As a team, CU hit a season-high .329 with 61 kills. The Maroon and Gray also served up a season-best nine service aces led by Davis with three. Anderson recorded a new career-high seven total blocks in the match, followed by Stull and Pilant with four each. Davis also tied her career-best performance with 29 digs and did not have a reception error.
 
Game 2: Concord 3 – Bluefield State 0 (25-17, 25-16, 31-29)
 
Set 1
It was CU that jumped on the board in the final game of the tournament, 4-0, with kills from Thompson and Pilant. BSU quickly countered with five-straight points of its own before Brown and Williams put the Mountain Lions back ahead, 7-5. Anderson picked up her first kill, as well as her first block of the match to grow the margin to five. Richmond served up an ace that sparked a five-point CU swing, 18-10. Team blocks from Anderson, Williams, and freshman outside hitter Caelyn Wise sealed the first frame 25-17.
 
Set 2
Richmond had the hot hand, serving two aces to begin the second game and give Concord a 3-0 lead. Then, the Mountain Lions went on a 7-0 run to lead by six, 12-6. The spurt included two kills from Anderson and a kill from senior right side Reese Turner. Concord kept its foot on the gas as Tooze swung for a kill that grew the edge to 18-9. C. Wise recorded her first career kill that gave the Maroon and Gray a 2-0 lead in the match, 25-16.
 
Set 3
With both squads locked at 6-6 early on, it was Stull's kill that started a 5-0 run as CU jumped to an 11-6 advantage. Brown went for back-to-back kills that expanded the lead, 16-9. Freshman middle hitter Ella Moss and Brown combined on a block that kept BSU from closing in, 19-13. After a Big Blues run that sent the game past the 25-point threshold, Tooze served an ace to take a 30-29 lead and a Bluefield State attack error clinched a sweep of CU's Mercer County rival and go undefeated at the Concord Classic.
 
Match Stats
Williams was the only Mountain Lion in double figures, hitting 11 kills and picking up 16 digs for a double-double. Pilant had another strong defensive performance, adding six total blocks. Brown and Anderson also pitched in four blocks each. Davis kept her 20-dig streak alive, notching her 20^th dig on the final rally of the contest.
 
 CU opens Mountain East Conference play on the road at Frostburg State Friday at 7:00 p.m.