MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The William Carey volleyball team opened play at the Faulkner Invitational on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Bryan College before sweeping Talladega College in straight sets.
Against Bryan, Carey came out strong, scoring the first four points of the match. The Lions quickly responded, however, rallying to take an 8-7 lead. After several lead changes, Bryan used a 6-0 run to build a 16-11 advantage. The Lady Crusaders gradually chipped away at the deficit and pulled within 24-23 late in the set, but Bryan closed the door with a kill to secure the opening-set win.
WCU answered in the second set, racing out to a 7-1 lead before extending the margin to 15-6. Just as they did in the first set, the Lions battled back and cut the deficit to 21-19. This time, though, the Lady Crusaders held off the comeback attempt, closing the set on a 4-1 run to earn a 25-20 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
The third set featured several momentum swings from both sides and eventually found the teams tied at 19-19. Bryan appeared poised to take control after building a 24-22 lead, but back-to-back errors by the Lions allowed WCU to tie the set. The Lady Crusaders capitalized on the opportunity, scoring three of the final four points to claim the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The back-and-forth battle continued early in the fourth set before Carey used an 8-4 run to turn a close contest into a 16-11 advantage. The Lady Crusaders continued to apply pressure down the stretch, pulling away for a 25-16 victory to secure the match.
Against Talladega, both teams came out aggressively, with neither side able to create much separation during the opening set. Holding a narrow 17-15 advantage, the Tornadoes saw WCU respond with a 4-0 run to regain the lead. The Lady Crusaders slowly extended their advantage to 23-19, but Talladega refused to go away, trimming the deficit to one point at both 23-22 and 24-23.
Rachel Stegall ended the threat with a kill that sealed the 25-23 set victory.
The second set was a different story. Carey dominated from the outset, using a fast start to build a 14-5 lead. The Lady Crusaders never let up, cruising to a 25-11 win and moving within one set of the sweep.
The third set followed a similar script as WCU jumped out to a 9-3 advantage and maintained control throughout. The Lady Crusaders never looked back, closing out the match with a 25-17 victory.
The Lady Crusaders return to action Saturday when they face Reinhardt University at 9 a.m. before taking on Webber International at 1 p.m.
