HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey volleyball team erased a two-set deficit and completed a dramatic comeback Friday night, defeating Life University in a five-set thriller at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility.
The opening set remained close until Life used a 10-2 run to build a 16-8 advantage. The Running Eagles later extended their lead to 20-12, but Carey responded with an impressive 8-0 run behind five kills and a service ace to tie the score at 20-20. The teams traded points down the stretch before Life secured the set, 25-23.
Life carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Carey quickly answered by winning four of the next five points to make it a one-point game. The Lady Crusaders later surged ahead 14-10 behind a balanced effort that included three kills, two aces, and two blocks.
William Carey maintained control and eventually stretched its lead to 18-13, but Life responded with a decisive 9-1 run to reclaim the advantage. Consecutive kills from
Reagan Ziegler and
Haley Eckert pulled the Crusaders within one point, but the Running Eagles closed the set late to take a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Facing elimination, Carey began its comeback in the third set. With Life holding a narrow 12-11 advantage, the Lady Crusaders used an 8-3 run to seize control. The Running Eagles trimmed the deficit several times, but back-to-back attacking errors allowed Carey to secure the set, 25-23.
The momentum carried into the fourth set as William Carey raced out to an 11-3 lead. The Lady Crusaders continued to dictate play, extending their advantage to 17-8 before cruising to a 25-17 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
The final set delivered more drama as Life appeared poised to close out the match with a 10-5 lead. Carey refused to back down, rallying behind two blocks, two kills, and a service ace to even the score at 10-10.
The teams traded points the rest of the way, and Life reached match point first at 14-13. The Lady Crusaders answered immediately as
Alejandra Villarreal delivered a clutch kill to tie the score.
Payton McClarren then followed with a service ace to give Carey its first match point, and a Life attack error on the next rally completed the comeback and sealed the 16-14 victory.
William Carey returns to action Saturday in SSAC play when it hosts Point University at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
