CARROLLTON, Ga. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team left opening weekend undefeated, taking down both Northwestern State and West Georgia on Saturday (Aug. 29) at The Coliseum. The Blue Hose swept the Demons in straight sets 25-18, 25-20, 25-13 in the morning to start the day before closing out the weekend with a four-set 25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18 win over the Wolves.
After dropping its first set of the tournament on Friday, PC rattled off eight consecutive set wins before the streak came to a close this afternoon.
Now improving to 3-0, this is Presbyterian's best start in program history in the Division I era. PC's previous best start was in 2016, where the Blue Hose won two straight to open the year.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH MADDIE MOSS
"We are so proud of how hard the team worked this weekend. The grit, dedication, and consistency was earned from the time spent in the gym. It's just the beginning of an exciting year, and we can't wait to keep this momentum going!"
MATCH ONE – HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE – PC 25, NORTHWESTERN STATE 18
- Presbyterian picked up right where it left off on Friday morning, quickly taking a commanding lead in the first set. A kill from Anisa Dorlouis put the Blue Hose up 8-3 early, a lead they would not relinquish.
- The Demons cut the lead to as little as three a couple of times, but PC used a 10-2 run to run away with the opening set. Northwestern State closed the gap at the very end before a kill by Meredith Reisman secured a 25-18 opening set victory for Presbyterian.
SET TWO – PC 25, NORTHWESTERN STATE 20
- The Blue Hose faced an early deficit in the second set, as Northwestern State jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Emma McHatten helped PC respond to erase the gap, tying the set at 11.
- Two kills from Julia Yurkovich gave the Blue Hose the lead in the middle of the set, and Presbyterian once again did not look back. The Demons tied the set once more at 15, but PC stayed in front the rest of the way to claim the set 25-20 and grab a 2-0 lead to start the day.
SET THREE – PC 25, NORTHWESTERN STATE 13
- Presbyterian dominated out of the gate in the third, taking a commanding 7-2 lead following kills from Celimar Hoyos and Dorlouis. The Blue Hose stretched the lead in the middle of the set after a successful block by Reisman and McHatten.
- PC continued to pour it on later in the set, growing the lead to double digits. Back-to-back attack errors from the Demons ended a victorious morning for the Blue Hose, as PC cruised to a straight-set victory over Northwestern State to begin the day.
MATCH ONE NOTABLES
- This was the first ever meeting between the two teams.
- Presbyterian dominated offensively on Saturday morning, producing a .333 hitting percentage. PC's .333 hitting percentage against the Demons is the team's highest since recording a .395 percentage against Florida A&M on Oct. 5, 2019.
- Defensively, PC held a huge advantage over Northwestern State in blocks (9 to 1). Brittney Daphnis recorded five, while Courtney Williams logged four.
- Dorlouis powered the Blue Hose in kills, posting seven. Yurkovich and McHatten had six apiece. Dorlouis also led PC in assists with 17.
- McHatten led Presbyterian with 12 digs, posting a new-career high. She doubled her previous best of six last season against Dartmouth.
- Presbyterian also had a big advantage with six service aces (Northwestern State had three). Amaris Alvarez led PC with two.
MATCH TWO – HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE – PC 25, WEST GEORGIA 18
- PC trailed in the beginning of its second match of the day, as West Georgia held a narrow advantage in the early going of set one. The Blue Hose trailed 12-10 before going on a run to take its first lead of the afternoon. A block from Dorlouis and Reisman put Presbyterian up 18-14 to give the Blue Hose a little bit of cushion.
- The Wolves closed the gap to three to make the score 21-18, but PC finished off the set on fire to take the opening set. A kill from Miller followed by two attack errors gave Presbyterian a 1-0 lead over West Georgia to begin the match.
SET TWO – PC 25, WEST GEORGIA 18
- Presbyterian kept the momentum going in the second set, dominating early to grab an 11-3 lead in the frame.
- The Blue Hose did not let up in the middle of the set, as several attack errors and a kill from Williams put PC up 20-13 in the set. West Georgia inched a little bit closer in the final points of the frame, but a service error by the Wolves allowed Presbyterian to cruise to a 2-0 lead in Carrollton.
SET THREE – WEST GEORGIA 25, PC 23
- West Georgia responded in the third, claiming four of the first five points in the set. The Wolves extended their lead to as many as five, but PC showed its resiliency by battling back.
- West Georgia held a 21-16 advantage late in the set before PC surged all the way back, tying the set at 23 apiece. However, the effort would fall short, as West Georgia took the final two points to get on the board in the match.
SET FOUR – PC 25, WEST GEORGIA 18
- The Blue Hose immediately retook the momentum to begin the fourth, surging to an early 6-2 lead after two straight kills from Miller. PC kept its pedal on the gas in the middle of the set to go up nine before West Georgia put up one more rally to get back in it.
- The Wolves got within one down 17-16, but two clutch blocks from Daphnis and Miller put the match out of reach. Presbyterian finished off the set 25-18 to close out the first weekend of the year undefeated.
MATCH TWO NOTABLES
- The Blue Hose improve to 2-0 in the all-time series against West Georgia. Both meetings have come in the last two seasons.
- This is Presbyterian's best start to a season in the program's DI history.
- Williams, Miller, and McHatten paced PC offensively, all three recording nine kills apiece.
- Reisman was dominant on the defensive end of the court, registering seven blocks. Williams logged four blocks as well.
- Hoyos posted a career-high four service aces. She also led Presbyterian with 23 digs.
- Dorlouis came up one dig short of a double-double, posting 33 assists to go along with nine digs.
UP NEXT
Presbyterian remains on the road on Tuesday night (Sept. 1), opening the month of September at Wofford at 6:00 p.m.
