TALLADEGA, Ala. – The William Carey Volleyball Team returned to the court, defeating Talladega College in a five-set thriller, and then turned around to take the match against Miles College in straight sets.
 
In the first match of the day against the Tornadoes, the Lady Crusaders had their hands full in all five sets. Set one saw both teams trading shots with Carey eventually taking the set 25-23. WCU came out quickly in the second set, opening on an 8-2 run before extending their lead to 18-9. However, Talladega attempted a comeback, battling back to cut the deficit to 22-19. The Carey defense halted the rally while Elaina Anderson and Sofia Bettini picked up the final three kills to secure the set.
 
The back-and-forth battle from the first set returned in the third with the Tornadoes holding the lead for much of the set before pulling away late to take the set 25-20 to stay alive. The fourth set saw both teams take turns with the lead and multiple ties. With Talladega holding a 24-23 lead, a kill by Anderson tied the set once again but the Tornadoes came through with two straight points to take the set and force the deciding fifth set.
 
After trading points to start the fifth set, the Lady Crusaders seized control behind a 6-1 run to take a 9-4 lead and never looked back, taking the set 15-8 and the match.
 
Suelen Lima led the way with 17 kills and 19 digs. Marcella Hermont added 12 kills with Elaina Anderson finished with ten kills. Gabriela Maceira finished the match with 18 digs while Katarina Vulic had 49 assists.
 
Against the Bears, the Lady Crusaders left little to doubt, as they opened the set on an 8-2 run before cruising to a 25-10 victory. It was much of the same in the second set except WCU opened the set on a 16-1 run and before going on to take the set 25-9. Things were a little closer in the third set but with Miles holding a slim 7-6 lead, Carey took the lead for good behind a 7-1 run. However, the Bears would not go quietly, as they managed to cut the deficit to three on multiple occasions and then got within two at 23-21. The Carey offense shut down any hope of a comeback picking up the next two points to complete the sweep.
 
Suelen Lima and Sofia Bettini each finished with ten kills with Lima also picking up ten digs.
 
The Lady Crusaders return to action Monday, October 14, as they take on Dillard University in non-conference action. Play is set to begin at 6:00 pm at the Ben Waddle Complex.