Friday, October 2
Clinton, S.C.
7:00 PM
Liberty University
8-7, 3-0
3
at
0
Presbyterian
6-11, 1-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 25 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
| Presbyterian College | 14 | 24 | 18 | 0 |
Bacon Returns as Lady Flames Sweep PC, 3-0
10/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Junior outside hitter Karyl Bacon made a successful return to the Liberty lineup, Friday evening at Presbyterian. Coming back from an ankle injury, she tallied 11 kills and seven digs, sparking the Lady Flames' 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-18) sweep of the Blue Hose at the Templeton Center.
Liberty, which hit .300 or higher in all three sets of the 75-minute match, improves to 8-7 overall and remains unbeaten in conference play at 3-0. The Lady Flames have now won eight straight matches against Big South Conference opponents, after avenging their most recent conference setback, suffered Nov. 8, 2008 at Presbyterian.
On the other side of the net, the host Blue Hose drop to 6-11 overall and 1-2 in the Big South. Friday's setback was Presbyterian's first home loss of the season, while it was also the Lady Flames' first road victory of 2009.
Liberty took control of the first set early on, with a 5-0 burst. Kallie Corbin (Sr., S, Beaverton, Ore.) highlighted the run with two aces and an assist, while Nicki Scripko's (Jr., OH, Fayetteville, N.C.) kill finished the surge with Liberty leading, 7-3. The Lady Flames never looked back, and reigning Big South Player of the Week Chelaine McCarty (Sr., MB, Houston, Ala.) closed out a 25-14 set one triumph with a powerful kill.
The Lady Flames outhit the Blue Hose in set one, .364 to .111 and notched four team blocks. Scripko led all players with four kills, hitting .500 for white-clad Liberty. Corbin served up a trio of aces, and Big South Freshman of the Week Loren Thomas (MB, Ocoee, Fla.) assisted on all four Liberty rejections. Presbyterian libero Elizabeth Heineman came up with four digs, helping her team outdig the Lady Flames, 10-8.
Liberty did not lead in the second stanza until a Kirstyn Sanders (R-Jr., MB/RS, Bear, Del.) ace made it 8-7. The Lady Flames never trailed again, but Presbyterian put up a significant fight during the set's closing stages.
A block by Sanders and Thomas put Liberty on top, 24-20. However, the Lady Flames needed five set points to close out the Blue Hose, as Ashley Dunlap served for two aces during an ensuing 4-0 surge by the home team. With the score deadlocked at 24-24, back-to-back kills by Bacon (Temecula, Calif.) sealed a 26-24 Liberty win and a 2-0 set advantage for the Lady Flames.
Led by Bacon's six kills, the Lady Flames hit .343 during the middle stanza. Fellow outside hitter Scripko added five kills for Liberty. Kettles kept the Blue Hose close, tallying a .750 attack percentage with six kills during the stanza.
The third and final set saw the two teams tie the score on nine occasions, the last of which came at 14-14. The Lady Flames then gained some breathing room with a 6-2 surge, featuring a pair of McCarty kills. Now leading 20-16, Liberty went on to wrap up a 25-18 triumph on Bacon's back row kill.
Middle blockers stood out for both teams in set three. For the Lady Flames, McCarty helped the team hit .321 with three kills on just four swings, while also contributing a block. Position mate Thomas added three more blocks. Kettles remained as Presbyterian's most proficient attacker, hitting .800 with a quartet of set three kills.
Liberty hit .341 for the match, going over the .300 mark for the fourth time this season, but the first since Sept. 5 versus Howard. The Lady Flames also recorded double-digit blocks for the third straight outing, outblocking their hosts, 11-2.
Both Lady Flames outside hitters reached double figures in kills, as Scripko complemented Bacon's productive evening with a dozen kills, five assists, eight digs and two blocks. The duo each hit over .400, with Bacon finishing at .429 and Scripko at .400.
McCarty chipped in with a .385 attack percentage, hitting over .300 for the seventh straight match. The senior added seven kills and a pair of blocks.
Corbin paced all players with 34 assists, hitting .400 with three kills and a matching number of aces.
Thomas and Sanders both set new career highs in blocks for the Lady Flames, with Thomas totaling nine rejections and Sanders contributing eight. Also highlighting Liberty's defensive efforts was libero Kelly Haseman (So., Three Rivers, Mich.), who shared match-high honors with 10 digs.
Kettles ended the evening with 12 kills and a match-superlative .750 attack percentage for Presbyterian. Heineman added 10 digs, while Dunlap accounted for all three of her team's service aces.
Liberty will return home Tuesday to renew its long-standing rivalry with Commonwealth foe Radford. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Vines Center. The contest will be the Lady Flames' second annual Dig Pink match, a nationwide event designed to promote breast cancer awareness.
Meanwhile, Presbyterian will continue a five-match homestand Saturday at 4 p.m., when High Point visits the Templeton Center.
Liberty, which hit .300 or higher in all three sets of the 75-minute match, improves to 8-7 overall and remains unbeaten in conference play at 3-0. The Lady Flames have now won eight straight matches against Big South Conference opponents, after avenging their most recent conference setback, suffered Nov. 8, 2008 at Presbyterian.
On the other side of the net, the host Blue Hose drop to 6-11 overall and 1-2 in the Big South. Friday's setback was Presbyterian's first home loss of the season, while it was also the Lady Flames' first road victory of 2009.
Liberty took control of the first set early on, with a 5-0 burst. Kallie Corbin (Sr., S, Beaverton, Ore.) highlighted the run with two aces and an assist, while Nicki Scripko's (Jr., OH, Fayetteville, N.C.) kill finished the surge with Liberty leading, 7-3. The Lady Flames never looked back, and reigning Big South Player of the Week Chelaine McCarty (Sr., MB, Houston, Ala.) closed out a 25-14 set one triumph with a powerful kill.
The Lady Flames outhit the Blue Hose in set one, .364 to .111 and notched four team blocks. Scripko led all players with four kills, hitting .500 for white-clad Liberty. Corbin served up a trio of aces, and Big South Freshman of the Week Loren Thomas (MB, Ocoee, Fla.) assisted on all four Liberty rejections. Presbyterian libero Elizabeth Heineman came up with four digs, helping her team outdig the Lady Flames, 10-8.
Liberty did not lead in the second stanza until a Kirstyn Sanders (R-Jr., MB/RS, Bear, Del.) ace made it 8-7. The Lady Flames never trailed again, but Presbyterian put up a significant fight during the set's closing stages.
A block by Sanders and Thomas put Liberty on top, 24-20. However, the Lady Flames needed five set points to close out the Blue Hose, as Ashley Dunlap served for two aces during an ensuing 4-0 surge by the home team. With the score deadlocked at 24-24, back-to-back kills by Bacon (Temecula, Calif.) sealed a 26-24 Liberty win and a 2-0 set advantage for the Lady Flames.
Led by Bacon's six kills, the Lady Flames hit .343 during the middle stanza. Fellow outside hitter Scripko added five kills for Liberty. Kettles kept the Blue Hose close, tallying a .750 attack percentage with six kills during the stanza.
The third and final set saw the two teams tie the score on nine occasions, the last of which came at 14-14. The Lady Flames then gained some breathing room with a 6-2 surge, featuring a pair of McCarty kills. Now leading 20-16, Liberty went on to wrap up a 25-18 triumph on Bacon's back row kill.
Middle blockers stood out for both teams in set three. For the Lady Flames, McCarty helped the team hit .321 with three kills on just four swings, while also contributing a block. Position mate Thomas added three more blocks. Kettles remained as Presbyterian's most proficient attacker, hitting .800 with a quartet of set three kills.
Liberty hit .341 for the match, going over the .300 mark for the fourth time this season, but the first since Sept. 5 versus Howard. The Lady Flames also recorded double-digit blocks for the third straight outing, outblocking their hosts, 11-2.
Both Lady Flames outside hitters reached double figures in kills, as Scripko complemented Bacon's productive evening with a dozen kills, five assists, eight digs and two blocks. The duo each hit over .400, with Bacon finishing at .429 and Scripko at .400.
McCarty chipped in with a .385 attack percentage, hitting over .300 for the seventh straight match. The senior added seven kills and a pair of blocks.
Corbin paced all players with 34 assists, hitting .400 with three kills and a matching number of aces.
Thomas and Sanders both set new career highs in blocks for the Lady Flames, with Thomas totaling nine rejections and Sanders contributing eight. Also highlighting Liberty's defensive efforts was libero Kelly Haseman (So., Three Rivers, Mich.), who shared match-high honors with 10 digs.
Kettles ended the evening with 12 kills and a match-superlative .750 attack percentage for Presbyterian. Heineman added 10 digs, while Dunlap accounted for all three of her team's service aces.
Liberty will return home Tuesday to renew its long-standing rivalry with Commonwealth foe Radford. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Vines Center. The contest will be the Lady Flames' second annual Dig Pink match, a nationwide event designed to promote breast cancer awareness.
Meanwhile, Presbyterian will continue a five-match homestand Saturday at 4 p.m., when High Point visits the Templeton Center.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
PC
Kills
40
35
Errors
11
19
Attempts
85
90
Hitting %
.341
.178
Points
56.0
40.0
Assists
40
32
Aces
5
3
Blocks
11.0
2.0
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Jenna Otts & Coach White Talk About Facing FIU In The CUSA Tournament
Tuesday, November 18
Liberty Volleyball Splits Series With KSU
Saturday, October 11
Coach White & Jenna Otts Talk About Sweeping LA Tech
Saturday, September 27
Gameday with Liberty Volleyball
Wednesday, September 24