GREENSBORO, N.C. - Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.) matched her season-best in kills,
Kaci Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) put on a show in set four, and
Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, P.R.) added fuel to the fire in set two as the Guilford College volleyball team defeated Shenandoah University, 3-2 (25-18, 27-25, 23-25, 20-25, 15-9) on Saturday afternoon on Jack Jensen Court in the Ragan-Brown Field House.
Standout performances from Guilford players came from Moore registering game-high 16 kills,
Kaci Johnson contributed nine kills,
Maddi Page (Jonesboro, Ga.) guided the offense with an assist/dig double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs, and
Madison Bozarth (Greensboro, N.C.) directed the defense for the Quakers with 20 digs.
Statistical leaders for the Hornets were Brooke Gast with team-high ten kills while teammate Hannah Hylton had a double-double performance with ten kills paired with 24 digs. Also for Shenandoah, Kylie Danella had the game-high assist count at 42 while Autumn Stroop finished with game-high 41 digs.
The Quakers started strong in the first set, jumping to a 10-2 lead with aces from
Zoe Whisnant (Greensboro, N.C.) and consecutive aces from
Madison Duvall (Sophia, N.C.). Kills from Johnson & Johnson, Vanessa and Kaci, also contributed to this run. SU fed off of GC's mistakes for a 5-0 stretch, but Guilford answered with four-unanswered points including kills from Page and Moore. Minney attempted to encourage the Hornets with a kill, however Alcantara, Whisnant, and
Kaci Johnson, who finished with 10.5 points, squashed their hope with kills.
Vanessa Johnson finished the set with a kill, securing the 25-18 victory for Guilford.
Moore, who ended the night with a .224 clip and 17.5 points, brought the house down garnering six kills in set two. For the first 18 points of the set, the two people that contributed in the kill category for GC were Alcantara and Moore. The two teams battled closely throughout the set, never allowing each other to score more than three back-to-back points. After Duvall joined the party with a kill to make the score 20-19, Moore took the set into her own hands and was responsible for the last five kills. Moore's dominance held off the Hornets, allowing the Quakers to clinch the second set, 27-25.
In the third set, Guilford raced out to a 5-2 edge thanks to kills from Page, double kills from
Vanessa Johnson, and Whisnant before Shenandoah registered a 7-0 rally to claim the lead, 9-6. Back-to-back Bozarth aces kept the Quakers level, but the Hornets hit their stride, making it 15-13. Guilford tallied five of the following points to reclaim the momentum. A kill from Gast alongside GC offensive errors helped SU get ahead to make it 21-20. With the entire gym on the edge of their seats, Shenandoah ultimately captured the set victory, 25-23.
Page began the fourth set with two of her three service aces and went on to assist all six of
Kaci Johnson's kills in the set. SU went on a 7-2 run to advance the lead to 10-7. The 4-0 advantage for the Quakers briefly slowed the Hornets, but Minney and Gast kept the kills coming. Shenandoah countered with an 8-1 extension including kills from Cheyenne Price and Minney along with Guilford mistakes. Although GC received a breather with a SU service error, the Hornets won the set, 25-20.
In the final set, tensions were high as Guilford held a 5-1 edge before Shenandoah scored six of the next seven points to take an 7-6 advantage. The Quakers transcended to a higher level of focus and produced a 7-0 run thanks to a crowd-shaking kill from
Amber Chiarolanzio (Deep Gap, N.C.), who also finished with 15 digs, Whisnant who stuffed her opponent with a nasty solo-block followed by a kill, and a kill from none other than Moore. The Quakers had heart in the final set to outlast the Hornets 15-9 to make the final score 3-2.
The Quakers will continue their home-game streak on Jack Jensen Court, facing non-conference opponent Carolina University on Tuesday, October 8th, at 6 PM.
#GoQuakes
