NEW ORLEANS, La. – William Carey wrapped up its regular season in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, defeating Xavier (La.) in straight sets.
The Lady Crusaders controlled much of the opening set, taking an early lead before using a 7-1 run to build a commanding 12-4 advantage. William Carey maintained control throughout the set despite a late push from Xavier. The Gold Nuggets slowly battled back to within four points at 18-14 and later trimmed the deficit to 23-20. However, a kill by
Emily Martin moved the Lady Crusaders to set point, and
Gabriela Martensson sealed the 25-21 victory with a kill of her own.
The second set featured another strong start from William Carey as they jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The Lady Crusaders continued to apply offensive pressure, with
Agnes Hegardt,
Alejandra Villarreal, Martensson and
Rachel Stegall all recording kills during a decisive mid-set run that stretched the advantage to 17-10. Xavier briefly halted the momentum and cut the deficit to 19-15, but Carey answered with four consecutive points to pull away for good. The Lady Crusaders secured the set 25-19, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Looking to complete the sweep, William Carey came out aggressively in the third set, racing to a 14-5 advantage. Like the first two sets, Xavier mounted a comeback and narrowed the gap to 16-13. Once again, however, the Lady Crusaders responded. Hegardt and Martensson recorded key kills, while
Evelyn Araujo added a service ace during a 5-2 run that extended the lead to 21-15. William Carey weathered another late Xavier rally before closing out the match. Villarreal recorded a kill to bring up match point, and a block by Villarreal and Hegardt sealed the straight-set victory.
Next up for the Lady Crusaders is the SSAC Volleyball Championship, scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The first two days of the tournament will feature pool play. William Carey will face Xavier University on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. before taking on Point on Nov. 13 at 11:30 a.m.
