JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-The Presbyterian College volleyball team responded to a gut check put forth by The Citadel in resounding form on Saturday. The Blue Hose answered the call after being down two games to none to win the final three games of the match 23-30, 25-30, 30-26, 30-21, 15-13. Along the way senior Lauren Mason captured Loop Pizza Grill Tournament MVP honors, while teammates Kelsey McKee and Rachel Lewis also earned All-Tournament recognition.
The Blue Hose victory came from a collection of outstanding games, led by Lauren Mason's 33 kill, 19 dig performance. Justine Lanchester, aside from an outstanding service game chimed in with 16 kills, while Kelsey McKee and Amanda Kettles added 13 and 12 kills respectively. From a digs standpoint, Elizabeth Heineman's 18, along with eleven from Rachel Lewis and ten by Amanda Davis paced PC.
Presbyterian (3-4) continued its uphill climb in the fifth game, rallying from down five points at one stretch of the game, to draw within 13-11. With Lanchester serving, the Blue Hose netted the final five points of the match, earning the victory by a 15-13 final. Mason, along with McKee, showed her MVP form as the two were responsible for four kills.
The junior Lanchester served to open the fourth game for the Blue Hose, allowing PC to jump out to its largest lead at 8-1. The Bulldogs rallied to knot the game at 8-8 before assuming their last lead at 11-10. Following a Heather Swain kill that tied the contest, the Blue Hose rose to the occasion with a 19-10 run that closed out the fourth game with a 30-20 final while setting the stage for the decisive match-up. During the streak, Lanchester accounted for four kills while Mason and Kettles tacked on three kills each.
“We really wanted to put our opponents on their heels by our strong serves,” said Lanchester. “In games four and five I felt the pressure but I was able to rely on the strength of my teammates to close out the match.”
With the two tied at 10-10 in game three, again with Lanchester serving, PC scored the next six straight points to assume an advantage it would never relinquish. The Citadel drew as close as one point at 26-25, before two Mason kills combined with Bulldog attack errors in the final four points gave PC the 30-26 final.
The Citadel took advantage in the early going of back-to-back afternoon games for PC, earning wins of 30-23 and 30-25. Despite twelve ties in the first game and nine in the second, the Bulldogs staved off PC charges to take the 2-0 match advantage.
PC vs. The Citadel Post Game Notes
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Presbyterian College becomes the first team in three years outside host Jacksonville to capture the tournament title.
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PC garnered three All-Tournament selections (MVP: Lauren Mason, All-Tournament: Kelsey McKee, Rachel Lewis).
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Mason accounted for 87 kills and 41 digs in the three matches of the tournament.
1 2 3 4 5
Presbyterian 23 25 30 30 15
The Citadel 30 30 26 21 13
Head Coach Chris Belshe Quotes
On team resilance in mounting comeback: “Being down two games to zero is a difficult scenario for any team let alone a team that is just beginning to step into Division I waters. Tonight I think we proved to ourselves that we have a lot of the qualities needed to be successful night in and night out. We are still learning to play and win together and to find a way to win after trailing two games to zero is a huge accomplishment for this group.”
On winning the Pizza Loop Grill Tournament: “Winning the tournament was a huge boost for this team. We left last weekend feeling good about ourselves, but we were still in search of more than just a Division I moral victory. This weekend we were able to string some wins together and prove to ourselves that not only can we be competitive at this level, but we can win. It is a long season and we have plenty of work ahead of us, but for where we are as a program winning the tournament is quite an accomplishment.”
PC-The Citadel Box Score
