Deacons win two of three during weeklong homestand
By Vanessa St. Gerard
Old Gold and Black Reporter

Following three consecutive losses, the women’s volleyball team recently bounced back to win two of three against in-state opponents, knocking off N.C. State and UNC-Greensboro on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, respectively, but falling to North Carolina on Sept. 28. With the 2-1 week, the Demon Deacons improved their record to 8-5 overall, 2-2 in the ACC.

After facing back-to-back losses against Georgia Tech, Radford and Carolina, the Demon Deacons defeated the UNC-Greensboro Spartans on Oct. 2, in a three-game match, 30-11, 30-19 and 30-21. The Deacon win was a team effort, with underclassmen leaving their mark both on the court and on the stat sheet. Sophomore middle blocker Jessica Hauff led the Deacs with seven digs and a season-high 16 kills. Junior setter Ashlee Phillips led the team with a .769 hitting percentage, posting 10 kills. Phillips also tallied 47 assists, four digs and two block assists.

Also contributing to the victory was sophomore outside hitter Katy de Roeck who posted two kills and six digs, redshirt freshman setter Tawni Schulte with eight digs, and freshman Kim Stern who recorded a career-high eight kills and four block assists for the Lady Deacs.

“Our team maintained focus throughout the match, regardless of the substitutions made,” Head Coach Valorie Baker said. “We did a nice job off the bench and maintaining our level of play.”

The Deacons recorded a .458 team hitting percentage while holding the Spartans to .043 percentage.

Over the weekend, the Deacs hosted in-state ACC rivals North Carolina and N.C. State on Sept. 28 and 29. After their disappointing loss to Radford on Sept. 25, the Deacs were looking to use a home-court advantage to improve their conference record.

In a hard-fought match, the Deacons fell to the Tar Heels after battling back in the third game. The Deacs lost the four-game match with scores of 28-30, 28-30, 35-30 and 27-30.

The Demon Deacons put up a battle losing the first two games by only two points. They proceeded to take the third game but the Tar Heel offense was too much to handle, losing 30-27 in the fourth and final game.

Baker felt her team fought hard and is anticipating the next UNC matchup. “I think both sides played extremely hard,” Baker said. “The ball game could have gone either way.

We need to cut our errors to put ourselves in a better position. Offensively we did some nice things that we can grow on. We are looking forward to our next match with Carolina.”

Senior outside hitter Trina Maso de Moya registered 22 kills and a match-high 23 digs along with three blocks for the Deacons. Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Beth DeLisle played her best match of the season, contributing 16 kills and 15 digs, while Phillips led the Deacon offense with 54 assists.

The following night, the N.C. State Wolfpack stepped into Reynolds Gymnasium only to walk away with another loss added to their conference record as the Deacs swept the ’Pack 3-0.

The Deacon attack was led by Maso de Moya and senior middle blocker Margaret Davidson. Maso de Moya tallied 16 kills, 16 digs and four service aces, while Davidson contributed 16 kills of her own.

The Deacs controlled the ball for the majority of the match, allowing Phillips to post 44 assists. “Our center Ashlee Phillips did a tremendous job tonight spreading the offense. Her performance was incredible and made all the difference,” Baker said.

Hauff stepped up as well, registering eight kills and three solo blocks, while DeLisle added seven kills and 10 digs, illustrating a true team effort.

The Wolfpack was held to a .064 hitting percentage while the Deacons posted a .331 percentage.

“I thought our players did a great job tonight maintaining their level of intensity during the entire match, regardless of N.C. State’s high and lows,” Baker said. “We needed this win for preparation of next week’s matches against Virginia and Maryland.”