Lady Flames Win Third Straight

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Liberty	27	25	25	25	3
Coastal Carolina	29	16	21	20	1

Liberty

Coastal Carolina

For the second day in a row, the Liberty volleyball team ended its opponent's six-match winning streak. Sophomore Nicki Scripko's career-high 22 kills highlighted a 3-1 (27-29, 25-16, 25-21, 25-20) victory at Coastal Carolina, Saturday afternoon at Kimbel Arena.

Liberty dropped a set to a conference opponent for the first time since Sept. 29, 2007, when the Lady Flames fell at Winthrop, 3-1. The Lady Flames, who had won 36 consecutive sets versus Big South foes, won their third straight match. Liberty is now 11-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina drops to 11-6 overall and 1-1 in the Big South.

The opening set was tightly contested and ended up as Liberty's longest under the new scoring format. The teams were tied nine times and traded the advantage on five occasions, before Coastal Carolina pulled out a hard-fought 29-27 decision. Liberty owned a 24-20 edge after Kallie Corbin's (Jr., S, Beaverton, Ore.) service ace. However, the Chanticleers fought off a total of six Liberty set points and notched the final three points in a row.

Megan Bickford hit .444 with four kills to lead Coastal Carolina offensively in the first set. Serving was also a key to the home team's victory, as the Chanticleers served up four aces. On the Liberty side of the net, Chelaine McCarty (Jr., MB, Houston, Ala.) had four kills and a .444 attack percentage, while Jessica Nelson (R-Sr., OH, Tokyo, Japan) came up with seven of Liberty's 23 digs.

Set two was close through the early going, before Liberty posted six straight points to take a 21-13 lead. Nicki Scripko (So., OH/RS, Fayetteville, N.C.) tallied three kills during the decisive run. A kill by fellow outside hitter Nelson put the finishing touches on the Lady Flames' 25-16 decision, enabling Liberty to even the match at one set apiece. Liberty hit .333 during the second set, with Scripko and Nelson evenly dividing 10 kills. Scripko also served for two of Liberty's three aces during the stanza.

Another 6-0 surge played a key role in Liberty's set three triumph. Scripko's pair of kills highlighted the run, which put the visiting Lady Flames on top, 11-4. Liberty led the rest of the way, staving off the Chanticleers' late rally attempts to claim a 25-21 decision. Scripko paced all players in the third set, with seven kills on a .400 attack percentage.

Trailing two sets to one, the homestanding Chanticleers put together a 3-0 surge, which included a pair of kills by Chelsy Kimes. The burst enabled Coastal Carolina to knot the match at 11-11 and prompted a timeout by Liberty head coach Shane Pinder. Nelson put down a kill on the ensuing rally, putting the Lady Flames ahead for good. Scripko's 22nd kill of the afternoon provided the final point of Liberty's 25-20 decision.

The final set proved to be an offensive battle between a pair of stellar sophomores—Scripko and Kimes. Each player finished with eight kills during the final stanza.

Scripko's 22 kills not only set a new career high, but were also the most by a Lady Flame since Nelson and Alysson Sanders totaled 20 kills each versus William & Mary on Sept. 15, 2007. The Liberty sophomore completed her third double-double in a row with 16 digs and hit .349, helping the Lady Flames post a team attack percentage of .304.

Nelson fashioned a double-double of her own, consisting of 13 kills and 15 digs. Corbin was the Lady Flames' third player with a double-double on Saturday, finishing with a season-high 48 assists, 12 digs and seven kills.

McCarty chipped in with 11 kills on a .360 attack percentage, while Liberty libero Karyl Bacon (So., Temecula, Calif.) led all players with a season-best 21 digs.

For the Chanticleers, Kimes totaled 20 kills, while classmate Bickford added 10. Brett Starbuck led Coastal Carolina with 18 digs.

After playing 15 matches away from Lynchburg, Liberty will host VCU Tuesday at 7 p.m., for the Lady Flames' 2008 home opener. The Lady Flames and Rams were two of the top performers at the season-opening VCU Third Degree Sportswear Invitational. Liberty won all three of its matches that weekend, while the Rams went 2-1.

Schedule

Next Event

Team Stats

Nicki Scripko

Jessica Nelson

Chelaine McCarty

Kallie Corbin