HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Crusaders closed out the home portion of their schedule with a straight-set victory over Blue Mountain Christian on Saturday afternoon at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility.
The opening set was tightly contested, with neither team holding a lead larger than three points until William Carey gained a 16-12 advantage. The Toppers steadily chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the set at 23-23. However, back-to-back kills by
Gabriela Martensson and
Rachel Stegall halted the comeback bid and secured a 25-23 first-set win for Carey.
Riding that momentum, the Lady Crusaders jumped out to an early 12-6 lead in the second set. Carey continued to apply pressure offensively, extending its advantage to 19-11 before pulling away for a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The Lady Crusaders carried their strong play into the third set, opening with a 5-0 run. Blue Mountain Christian responded with a 5-2 stretch to trim the deficit to two, but Carey quickly regrouped and pushed its lead to 15-10 while recording seven kills during the run.
The Toppers answered once again, battling back to tie the set before taking an 18-17 lead. From there, the teams traded points throughout the closing stages of the set. A kill by Martensson and an attack error by Blue Mountain Christian put Carey one point away from the match. On the next rally,
Reagan Ziegler and
Alejandra Villarreal teamed up for a match-clinching block to seal the victory and complete the sweep.
The Lady Crusaders return to action Friday, Nov. 6, when they travel to New Orleans for a conference matchup against Loyola University. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
