Asbury v. Manchester

The Asbury Eagles bested the Manchester Spartans 3-1 in their first of two matches in Saturday's volleyball tri-match at Transylvania University.

Asbury took an early in the first set. Solid defense and smart hitting extended the lead to 10-5. Manchester fought back to bring the set score to 17-16, but the Eagles would not give up the lead. Asbury finished with an 8-2 scoring run and would go on to win the first set 25-19.

The second set would prove different for the Eagles who found themselves down 3-7 early on. Late in the set Asbury would be down 9-18 before putting together a late scoring surge but eventually fall 18-25.

Asbury started of quickly in the third set but fell behind 5-7. The Eagles and the Spartans would keep the set neck and neck but eventually Asbury would slowly pull away. With a 12-6 scoring run, Asbury would win set 3, 25-18.

In the fourth, Manchester would take an early 4-1 lead but Asbury would even the score at 11-11. Both teams again would trade back and forth and Asbury would take a small lead at 15-14. The Eagles would then go on a 10-4 scoring run to pull away and end the match.

Lindsey Castle paced the Asbury offense with 24 assists and Emma Grace Gray led all hitters with 15 kills. Bethany Fye and Emma Ingalls contributed with 10 and 7 kills. Defensively, Madi Bryant led the Eagles with 13 digs. Emily Janszen and Emma Grace Gray also helped defensively with 11 and 10 digs.

Coach's quote: "This was a great match for us from start to finish. We stumbled a little in the second set, but I felt we stayed mentally strong the entire match."
 

Asbury v. Transylvania

Asbury Eagles volleyball team fell to the Transylvania Pioneers, 0-3 in the second match of the day for the Eagles.

The Eagles kept the first set close early at the start but Transy pulled away and proved too much for the Eagles who fell 11-25.

In the second set the Eagles would take a quick 2-0 lead but the Pioneers would even it up and continue to dominate the set. As in the first set, the Pioneer defense would make it difficult for the Eagles to score. Asbury would fall, 9-25 in the second set.

Repeating the start of the second set, Asbury would take a 2-0 lead in the third which Transy would even up quickly. The Eagles would stay close but would fall behind 8-17 midway through the set. Asbury would then go on a 13-4 scoring run to even the score at 21-21. The two teams would go back and forth and the Eagles would come up to set point at 24-23. The Pioneers would then score the next three points to end the set and the sweep the match.

Emily Janszen would lead Asbury in kills with 7. Emma Grace Gray, Emma Ingallls, and Bethany Fye would all tally 4 kills apiece. Lindsey Castle and Gray would lead the defense with 11 and 10 digs respectively.

Coach's quote: "Transy served very tough. We didn't pass as well as we needed to and when you have problems getting into rhythm offensively against a solid defense like theirs, it's tough to win. I was proud of the way they showed mental toughness and came back in the third set. We had our chance to take that set but we blinked. Our mental game is getting better. I see us getting tougher.