Oct. 9, 2009

Final Stats

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The LadyCats of Bethune-Cookman Volleyball made an outstanding comeback as they traveled to face the Lady Rams of Winston-Salem State. Though the LadyCats fell behind early, they rallied up and won three consecutive sets to take the match in five sets, with scores of 25-22(L), 26-24(L), 25-20, 25-23, and 15-11.

The Lady Rams pinned B-CU early, coming out on top in both of the first two sets in the match. WSSU overcame an early B-CU to take a scoring run to the win in the first set. However, the LadyCats made it known that they were not going to just lie down, with the second set featuring 14 tied scores and 7 lead changes, with the Lady Rams ultimately coming out on top 26-24.

The third set score stayed tight at the beginning, but the LadyCats built an early lead and held off WSSU, winning 25-20, and forcing more sets. Although WSSU claimed a lead in the fourth set, the LadyCats kept their heads making a four-point swing to tie up at 13-13, when they took the lead for good, holding off the Lady Rams to win 25-23, and forcing a tiebreaker. In the final set, B-CU led from 1-1 forward and claimed a 15-11 victory in the tiebreaker and a 3-2 advantage win for the match.

"The team showed a lot of heart tonight to come from a 2-0 set deficit," Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell said following the win. "We were out of rhythm offensively and blocking wise, as the numbers will indicate, but that just goes to show that numbers don't always tell all & that heart and the will to win really makes a difference!  I'm proud of how the team kept their composure and remained aggressive despite the score on the board."

Several LadyCats made a difference on the court tonight, making plays as a team to secure the win. Jessica Wilson led the 'Cats with a team season high of 16 kills (while making 6 digs), followed by Chelle Ticeson with 14 kills (and 10 digs), and Kaiyana Johnson with 10 kills (5 digs). Setting up the B-CU attack, Daryl Rodriguez led with 27 assists, but Julie Gibson matched her well, collecting 24 assists of her own.

Defense was a team trait tonight with all but one of the 10 players hitting the court collecting at least four digs. However, leading the way, freshman Jacqueline Woodyear collected a season team-high 20 digs. Ticeson followed with 10, also matched by Janeen Davis, making her first performance as a LadyCat, with 10 digs and 9 kills.

The LadyCats (5-10) get a short breather before tearing into conference play. B-CU retakes the court next Sunday, Oct. 11, as they travel to Orangeburg, S.C. to face South Carolina State in a 3 pm match.