HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey Lady Crusaders continued their strong play Friday afternoon, earning their second consecutive sweep with a 3-0 victory over Brewton-Parker at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility.
Carrying momentum from Thursday night's win, Carey came out firing in the opening set and quickly built an 8-2 advantage. Brewton-Parker responded with a run to close the gap to 11-9, but the Lady Crusaders answered immediately. Kills from
Emily Martin,
Alejandra Villarreal and
Rachel Stegall, along with a block by Martin and
Reagan Ziegler and a service ace from Villarreal, fueled a surge that extended the lead to 17-11. Carey maintained control the rest of the way and secured a 25-14 first-set victory.
The Barons opened the second set on a 4-1 run, but the Lady Crusaders responded by winning seven of the next nine points to take an 8-6 lead. After a brief back-and-forth stretch, Carey created separation with a 4-0 run to move ahead 17-11. The Lady Crusaders never looked back, cruising to a 25-17 win to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was tightly contested early before Carey used four kills and a block during a 5-0 run to gain a 9-4 advantage. Brewton-Parker remained within striking distance throughout the set, but with the Lady Crusaders holding a 15-13 lead, Carey delivered another decisive 5-0 run to push the margin to 20-13.
The Barons refused to go away quietly, scoring five straight points to trim the deficit to 20-18. The Lady Crusaders responded with authority, rattling off four consecutive points behind kills from Martin, Villarreal and
Eduarda Bicalho to move within a point of victory. Villarreal then recorded the match-clinching kill to complete the sweep.
William Carey returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 13, when the Lady Crusaders host Dillard University in non-conference play. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility.
