DEMOREST, Ga. – The Piedmont volleyball team earned a split in a Collegiate Conference of the South tri-match on Saturday afternoon at Cave Arena.
For the second consecutive weekend, the Lions began the afternoon with a win, triumphing over Belhaven 3-0. However, the Lions dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Maryville to close out the evening 1-1.
Match 1: Piedmont 3, Belhaven 0
The Lions dominated the Blazers from the early going and never looked back in a three-set victory to start the day.
Piedmont held Belhaven to single digits in dominant 25-9 fashion before taking control in the second and third sets as well on the way to their eighth conference victory.
The stats were one-sided in favor of the Lions as well, as they held a 38-18 edge in total kills and delivered a .310 hitting percentage while holding the Blazers to a .000 hitting percentage.
Jenna Ash had an outstanding start to the day, leading the squad with 12 kills on a .429 hitting percentage while also adding eight digs. Freshman standout Kaylee Ashcraft nearly reached double digits, with nine digs and continued to amaze on her serve, with four service aces. However, junior setter Vanessa Manzo topped the team with five service aces for the match.
Reigning CCS Defensive Player of the Week Taylor Herrmann led with 12 digs.
Match 2: Maryville 3, Piedmont 2
In a matchup that was hard fought throughout, Maryville prevailed with a furious fifth-set rally to overtake the Lions.
The first set was back-and-forth in the early going, with neither side able to separate. However, the Scots turned a 15-all tie into an 18-15 advantage. From there, Piedmont was unable to recover, with Maryville taking the set by a 25-22 margin. Although the Lions had more kills in the set, the Scots took advantage of three Piedmont service errors while not making any of their own.
The Lions were undeterred, battling back to win the second set 25-22 as the Scots committed 11 attack errors compared to just six for Piedmont.
The third and fourth sets mirrored the first and second, with the Scots bouncing back and taking the third, 25-22, before the Lions were able to stay alive with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.
Playing just its third five-set match of the season, the Lions raced out to an 11-7 advantage and had the win within their grasp. Unfortunately, the Scots had one more rally in them, coming out of a timeout and outscoring the Lions 8-2 the rest of the way to take the victory.
Katie Hubbard led Piedmont with 13 kills, the only Lion to reach double digits in that category. Although Ash was held to nine kills, the senior from Cleveland, Georgia totaled a career-best 21 digs.
Herrmann led the squad with 30 digs, while Manzo (15) and Ashcraft (11) each reached double digits.
Up next, the Lions will take a short road trip to Toccoa Falls, taking on the Screaming Eagles this Monday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– The Lions established control early against Belhaven, rolling to a 25-9 first set win.
– Against Maryville, the Scots used an 8-2 run in the fifth set to win the match.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Herrmann totaled 42 digs over the two contests.
– Ash led the team with 12 kills in the win over Belhaven before delivering a career-high 21 digs against Maryville.
NEWS AND NOTES:
– Piedmont is now 2-1 in five-set matches, all of which have occurred inside Cave Arena.
