CLINTON, S.C. - The LadyCats of Bethune-Cookman volleyball continued their road swing, playing on back-to-back days, as they head from Western Carolina to face Presbyterian. The match was close the entire way, with three of four sets decided by four points or fewer. However, the Blue Hose were able to overcome 40 ties in the match to win, 3-1.
As the match opened, the LadyCats fell into a hole early, but rallied with a 10-4 swing that earned them their first lead near mid-set. The teams traded scores, and tied it up seven more times, but the lead only changed hands once more, as Presbyterian reclaimed the advantage at 17-16 and kept just enough cushion to overcome the LadyCats 25-22.
The LadyCats came out hard in the second, hitting .368, but the Blue Hose hit even better, wrapping the set with a .531 hitting percentage. Despite a wider margin at the close, this set was even tighter than the first, trading scores until very late in the match, with 16 ties and 8 lead changes. However, the Blue Hose launched a 7-1 scoring rally as the set wound down, taking the win, 25-19.
In the third, though the Blue Hose gained the advantage early, the LadyCats stuck with it, rallying from five points down to claim their first lead at 13-12. B-CU kept enough distance to keep Presbyterian at bay until the final points in regulation, when they climbed back on top. A Linda Nwabuko kill put the game back into a draw and started a three-point drive to the 26-24 victory.
Despite the fiery battle of the third match, B-CU could not come close enough, once they got behind, to get into the driver's seat of the fourth set. PC led by four at the highest in the entire set, and it was typically a two-score game, but the Blue Hose held on for the win in the fourth, 25-21, and the 3-1 match victory.
Kaiyana Johnson had an outstanding game at the net, hitting .625 with 3.5 total blocks, and shared the team-high of 11 kills with hitter Jacqueline Woodyear collected 14 digs to lead the team from the libero spot, with assistance from Bliese and Jessica Wilson, with 10 and 9 digs respectively.
Despite the 3-1 loss, the LadyCats did well at the net, out-blocking Presbyterian 9-5. Johnson tallied 3.5, Sydney Smith had 1.5, and Gardner had two, while Bliese and Kat Agson each got in on an assist.
"Our blocking picked up, as our timing was a lot better against Presbyterian," Head Coach Vanessa Cogswell said in summary of the match, "but we could have had a lot more blocks if we had pressed over the net. It's just the little things at this point that are making the difference between a loss and a win in these non-conference games. We matched them pretty well, stat for stat, but we need to become a more efficient and consistent team all-around and that's when the wins will come."
The LadyCats (4-15) get a mid-season opportunity to recharge, going eight days without a match, before opening a home stand on Oct. 5 against North Florida, which features five sets in 10 days.
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