MARIETTA, Ga. – The William Carey volleyball team wrapped up play at the Carlos Soler "La Tribu" Invitational, hosted by Life University, on Saturday. The Lady Crusaders dropped a five-set battle to Webber International before bouncing back with a straight-set victory over Point University.
The match opened with both teams trading points before Webber gradually gained the upper hand. The Lady Crusaders remained within striking distance, cutting the deficit to one on several occasions as the Warriors held a slim 21-20 lead late in the set. However, that was as close as Carey would get, as Webber closed the frame on a 4-0 run to secure the opening-set victory.
WCU got off to a slow start in the second set and found itself facing an early 9-3 deficit. The Carey offense responded, though, using five service aces from
Rachel Stegall to spark an 8-0 run and turn the tide, giving the Lady Crusaders a 13-11 advantage.
Webber quickly answered in the evening the score, and the two teams battled point-for-point for much of the remainder of the set. Carey eventually moved in front 21-18, but the Warriors once again responded, tying the set before scoring the final three points to claim a 25-23 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Lady Crusaders came out aggressive in the third set, building an early 11-6 advantage. Carey continued to apply pressure and used a 7-1 run to extend its lead to 18-7, taking firm control of the set. The Crusaders never let up from there, cruising to a 25-17 victory to keep the match alive.
That momentum carried into the fourth set as WCU raced out to an 11-3 lead. The Lady Crusaders' offensive pressure remained relentless, stretching the margin to 17-7 and never allowing the Warriors back into contention. Carey rolled to a convincing 25-10 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
The momentum shifted quickly in the final frame, however, as Webber stormed out to a 9-1 lead. The Warriors never looked back, maintaining control throughout the set and closing out the match with a 15-5 victory.
In the second match of the day, Point University opened the first set with a 7-1 run. Carey quickly regrouped, responding with a 10-2 surge to take an 11-9 lead. After the Skyhawks briefly halted the run, the Lady Crusaders recorded six kills during a 7-1 stretch to build a six-point advantage. From there, WCU controlled the set and cruised to a 25-16 victory.
Point once again started strong in the second set, building a 12-6 lead before extending the margin to 15-9. Just as they did in the opening set, the Lady Crusaders battled back and eventually tied the score at 18-18.
Carey appeared poised to close out the set after taking a 24-19 lead, but the Skyhawks rallied with five consecutive points to even the score at 24. After the teams traded points, back-to-back kills by
Alyssa Portee and
Alejandra Villarreal sealed a hard-fought 28-26 victory and gave the Lady Crusaders a 2-0 match lead.
The roles reversed in the third set as Carey jumped out to an early advantage. Point fought back to tie the score, but the Lady Crusaders quickly regained control with a 7-2 run and never looked back. WCU closed out the match with a 25-19 win to complete the sweep.
Carey returns to action Aug. 28-29 at the Faulkner Invitational in Montgomery, Ala.
