CLINTON, S.C. - Presley Mabrey recorded a match-high 25 kills, Amanda
Kettles hit .448, Kilee Ruppe tied her career high with 55 assists and Ashley
Dunlap paced the team with four aces, helping the Presbyterian College
volleyball team hand Winthrop its second conference loss Saturday evening. Set
scores were 18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 20-25, 15-7.
The Blue Hose improve to 10-12 on the year and 3-5 in Big South Conference play
while Winthrop falls to 9-11 overall and 6-2 in league action.
Mabrey's 25 kills were three off her career high, but three came in the
deciding fifth set. She also posted 14 digs for her fifth double-double of the
season. For good measure, she had five blocks, two of which were of the solo
variety. Kettles, who has been on fire this season, ripped 16 smashes against
three errors for a .448 attack percentage.
Ruppe, in addition to tying her career high in assists, played spectacular
defense, notching 12 digs. As a team, all but two players had at least five
digs. Andrea Barman, who tallied six kills, had five digs and five block
assists. Allison Brown accounted for eight kills and three block assists.
Lisa Shelley totaled seven kills, but had four digs to go along with what could
have been the biggest block of the night during a key stretch for the Blue
Hose.
The Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 set lead after taking the opener 25-18. It was a
close set in the early going, but Winthrop ran off four straight points to make
it 16-13. PC pulled within one on a kill by Barman, but could get no closer as
Winthrop scored the last three for the win.
In the second set, the Blue Hose came out playing inspired ball. PC jumped in
front 3-1 thanks in part to a kill by Mabrey and a block by Brown and Barman.
The team extended its leads to five after Kettles and Mabrey posted two kills
during a three-point stretch. However, the Eagles came back to take a 17-15
lead, forcing a time-out by the home squad.
After the 60-second break, the Blue Hose reeled off three straight points,
taking an 18-17 lead thanks in part to two Eagles' errors and a smash by
Mabrey. Winthrop came back, taking a 21-20 advantage, but the teams evened the
set at 22. Then, Kettles blasted a shot to the far right corner for a lead head
coach Chris Belshe's team would not relinquish. WU called a time-out, but
Shelley stuffed an attack for set point. Although the Eagles pulled within one,
an attack error by the visitors ended the set with PC winning 25-23.
The Blue Hose came out of the intermission and took an early lead on Mabrey's
solo block. PC edged ahead 11-9 after back-to-back Mabrey mashes, but Winthrop
came back to tie the score at 14. Kettles gave the home team a 17-15 lead and
Mabrey added another, but a time-out helped the Eagles regroup momentarily.
With the score at 18-17 in favor of the Blue Hose, back-to-back attack errors
by Winthrop pushed PC's lead to three, 20-17. A point later, Mabrey's kill made
it 21-18. Then, Ruppe dropped back to serve and promptly finished the set. She
had an ace, an attack error by Sara Felts put the score at 23-18. Then, Brown
slammed home back-to-back kills for the 25-18 set win.
PC tried to close it out in the fourth set, but the Eagles were able to edge
the Blue Hose, 25-20. Tied at 17, WU had three straight points for a 20-18
advantage. Mabrey helped the team pull within one, but Stephanie Palmer's kill and
Kelsey Harrison's ace put it away, forcing the thrilling fifth set.
The Blue Hose used some early momentum on a kill by Brown to take a 1-0 lead.
Brown and Barman blocked a WU attack for the second point. PC stretched the
lead to three on Mabrey's ace. The Blue Hose eventually pushed the margin to
six, 10-4, on a WU error. Ruppe's kill made it 12-5. At 14-7, Barman ended the
match with a powerful slam down the line.
The Blue Hose return to action Oct. 22 at Liberty. The match is slated for a 7
p.m. start.
