Oct. 11, 2009
Final Stats
Call VB Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details - 386.481.2278 -
ORANGEBURG, S.C. - The LadyCats opened conference play with a 3-2 victory, Sunday afternoon, over the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State. B-CU earned their second consecutive victory, and first true MEAC win, after also defeating Winston-Salem State on Friday, 3-2. The LadyCats won Sunday's match in sets of 25-22, 25-23 (L), 25-23, 25-15 (L), and 15-12.
The LadyCats started off the match on a high note, earning the win in the first set. Although the Lady Bulldogs kept it close, creating four ties, B-CU came out on top 25-22. In the second set, the roles reversed, with SCSU getting a mid-set lead, which they carried through to a 25-23 victory. In the third set, the score remained very close throughout, with nine score ties and four lead changes, as the LadyCats earned a lead midway through the set. Although the Lady Bulldogs rallied and took a late lead, the LadyCats maintained their composure and put SCSU away, winning 25-23. Despite B-CU's consistent play to that point, SCSU shocked the LadyCats with a 25-15 win in the fourth set, while B-CU only hit .057 as a team.
"I'm extremely proud of the ladies today," said Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell, following the win. "Both setters did a great job of spreading the offense around & making great choices."
"I have to give a lot of credit to three of our freshmen," Cogswell noted of Gardner, Davis, and Woodyear, "for really stepping up & handling the pressure of a big MEAC game like this. At one point during the latter part of set five, we had all three freshmen on serve receive, and they handled it as if they were seasoned veterans, while during the 5th set we were down 2-7 but they stayed steady to the course, kept their composure, and we came out on top for a big win."
In the tiebreaker set, the LadyCats fell behind early, but made a comeback, knotting up the score at 9-9. B-CU took off on a 6-3 run; claiming a victory of 15-12 and a 3-2 win for the match.
The LadyCats attacked SCSU from several different angles, led by Jessica Wilson, who collected 12 kills. Keeping up, Jessica Wilson also making a defensive contribution with 11 digs.
"As I've said before," concluded Cogswell, "our strength is the depth of our bench; this win was a total team effort and I'm ecstatic to see how well players came off the bench and made an impact on the floor right away."
The LadyCats move to 6-10 and 1-0 in MEAC play, as they rest for a few days, gearing up for their MEAC home opener. B-CU faces off with North Carolina A&T 7:00 pm on Friday, Oct. 16, at Moore Gymnasium.
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