MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The William Carey volleyball team took care of business Friday morning, sweeping Point University in straight sets to advance to the semifinals of the SSAC Championship.
William Carey overcame an early challenge in the opening set after falling behind 4-0. The Lady Crusaders responded with a dominant 10-1 run, fueled by the attacking efforts of
Rachel Stegall and
Reagan Ziegler, who combined for multiple kills during the surge. Point battled back and trimmed the deficit to 13-11, but Carey quickly regained control. The Lady Crusaders used another strong run to build a 19-12 advantage before closing out the set with a 25-19 victory and a 1-0 match lead.
The second set was nearly all William Carey from the start.
Alejandra Villarreal,
Alyssa Portee, and Ziegler powered the offense during an early stretch that helped the Lady Crusaders build a commanding 12-4 lead. Stegall added two service aces, while
Gabriela Martensson and
Hadley Soutiere anchored the defense at the net. With Carey holding a comfortable 20-8 advantage, Point made one final push, storming back to cut the deficit to 24-23. However, the comeback attempt fell just short as a Skyhawks attack error gave the Lady Crusaders a 25-23 win and a two-set advantage.
William Carey once again jumped out to an early lead in the third set, opening a 12-6 cushion. Point refused to go away, gradually chipping away at the deficit before evening the score at 18-18. The Skyhawks briefly grabbed the lead, and the teams' traded points down the stretch with Point holding a narrow 22-21 edge late in the set. That was when the Lady Crusaders delivered their strongest stretch of the match. Stegall, Villarreal, Martensson, and
Agnes Hegardt combined for five consecutive kills, helping Carey close the set on a decisive run to complete the sweep.
The victory sends the Crusaders into the SSAC Championship semifinals, where they will face Mobile. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
