Liberty University
7-8, 3-0Big South
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UNC Asheville
9-6, 2-1Big South
Liberty Holds Off UNC Asheville, 3-2
10/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UNC Asheville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match at 2-2, before Liberty won the fifth set to secure a 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 15-11) victory over the Bulldogs, Saturday at the Vines Center.
Liberty (7-8) remains unbeaten in Big South play, at 3-0, following its sixth straight home win. UNC Asheville falls to 9-6, including 2-1 in league matches. Saturday marked Liberty's first five-set victory since Oct. 11, 2014, when the Lady Flames downed High Point, 3-2.
Both teams scored 58 kills, with UNC Asheville outhitting the Lady Flames, .176 to .154. The teams also tied in blocks, 9-9 and aces, 3-3. Liberty led, 101-83 in digs. The Lady Flames' 101 digs were the most by Liberty in a single match under the current 25-point rally-scoring format, which began in 2008.
Caroline Douglas sent down a match-high 18 kills. In the process, Douglas passed Karyl Bacon (2007-10) into 12th place all-time at Liberty with 1,159 career kills. Anna Willey recorded her fifth double-double of the season, with career highs in assists (50) and digs (19). Haley Jeffcoat posted her first career double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs, to go with four blocks.
Margaret Latchford collected a career-high 31 digs, the most by a Lady Flame since Gabrielle Shipe's 31-dig match against High Point, Nov. 8, 2013. Sirena Vorster registered 10 kills, a career-high nine digs and five blocks. Lindsay Foreman collected a career-high 14 digs, while Allie Reynolds had 11 digs. Jade Vorster recorded seven kills and four blocks.
Christine Lakatos led the Bulldogs with 14 kills while adding 20 digs. Bryn Pfeiffer collected a team-high 29 digs, while Madison Vaughn scored 11 kills and Shelby Erickson added nine digs. Katie Davis dished out a team-high 28 assists, while Cameron Pryor registered eight kills and five blocks.
Liberty led by one, 16-15 in set one when Pryor scored a kill for the visitors. Jeffcoat then sparked a 7-0 Lady Flames rally with a kill. The Lady Flames outscored the Bulldogs, 9-2, down the stretch, as a Douglas-Sirena Vorster block sealed the 25-17 win.
The hosts outhit the Bulldogs, .282-.041, as Douglas scored four kills. Lakatos scored five set-one kills for Asheville.
The Lady Flames pulled away late for a 25-20 win in the second set. Leading, 17-16, Douglas sent down a kill, and Liberty surged to the victory with an 8-4 run. Liberty held a slight, .143-.136 advantage in hitting percentage during the second stanza.
UNC Asheville bounced back in the third session, hitting .316 while racing to a 25-16 win. The Bulldogs recorded three blocks, limiting Liberty to a .053 attack percentage.
Liberty looked to close out the match, leading 21-18 in set four. Julia Borschel then scored a kill for the Bulldogs, who reeled off seven straight points to win the session, 25-21. UNC Asheville outhit the Lady Flames, .219 to -.024 during the fourth set, while also posting five team blocks.
The host Lady Flames came out swinging during the final frame, surging to a 9-5 lead behind four early kills by Jeffcoat. The Bulldogs drew to within three, at 11-7, before Liberty earned match-point tries at 14-9. After UNC Asheville staved off elimination twice, Jeffcoat's kill secured the five-set victory, 15-11.
Liberty scored 14 kills out of their 15 points in set five, hitting .343, while the Bulldogs hit .233. Jeffcoat led all players with five fifth-set kills.
Liberty closes out its three-match homestand on Tuesday at 6 p.m., hosting the VCU Rams in the Lady Flames' final regular-season non-conference match this season.
