HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Crusaders battled their way to a third consecutive five-set victory Saturday afternoon, defeating Point University 3-2 at the Ben Waddle Sports Facility.
Carey took control early in the opening set before the Skyhawks battled back to tie the score at 7-7. The Lady Crusaders responded by building a 15-11 advantage, but Point once again erased the deficit to even the set at 16-16. After trading points, Carey closed the set on an 8-2 run to claim a 25-19 victory.
The Lady Crusaders carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Point answered with a rally of its own to tie the score at 8-8, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle. The Skyhawks eventually took a 21-18 lead late in the set, but Carey responded with kills from
Rachel Stegall and
Maurin Reyes, along with a service ace from Stegall, to even the score at 21-21. The teams continued to trade points until
Emily Martin and Stegall delivered consecutive kills to secure a 26-24 set win and a 2-0 match advantage.
WCU opened the third set with four straight points, but Point once again fought its way back into contention. A 6-1 Carey run gave the Lady Crusaders a 10-5 lead before the Skyhawks trimmed the margin to just one point at 11-10. Carey maintained a narrow advantage through much of the set, but Point tied the score and surged ahead 22-18. Riding the momentum, the Skyhawks captured the set 25-19 to extend the match.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern as the Lady Crusaders raced out to a 6-0 lead and later held a 15-9 advantage. Point refused to go away, gradually chipping away at the deficit before taking a 17-16 lead. The teams exchanged leads throughout the remainder of the set until back-to-back Carey errors allowed the Skyhawks to earn a 27-25 win and force a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, the Lady Crusaders once again seized the early momentum, building a 9-5 lead. Point answered by rallying to tie the score at 10-10, and the teams continued to trade the advantage down the stretch. With the match hanging in the balance, Reyes delivered a crucial kill to move Carey to match point. An attack error by the Skyhawks on the following rally sealed the set and the 3-2 victory for the Lady Crusaders.
William Carey returns to action Friday, October 2, when the Lady Crusaders travel to Blue Mountain Christian for a conference matchup. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
