DANVILLE, Ky. - In front of a raucous crowd inside Alumni Gym, fifth-ranked Centre volleyball evened its season series with the 16th-ranked Trinity Tigers, winning in four sets. It is the first time Centre has ever defeated Trinity inside Alumni Gym and the first victory for the Colonels in the series since the 2010 SCAC Tournament third place game.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Colonels showed some early jitters and the visiting team took the early lead, but Centre quickly shook off the rust and the opening set became a classic duel with multiple lead changes and ties. Centre fought off a pair of match points, with a kill from
Elise Grundy tying the score at 25-25, but Trinity scored the next two to snap the Colonels' streak of 17 consecutive sets won.
- In the second set, both teams made early runs of four or more straight points to keep things close. Leading 12-11, Centre scored nine of the next 11 points to take their largest lead at 21-13. A kill from
Kendra Christopher put the finishing touches on a 24-18 Centre win.
- With the match now tied, Centre got off to a strong start in the third set as the Colonels jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Trinity slowly chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the score at 21-21, setting the stage for a tense finish. The Colonels got the next point and then Christopher and
Abby Swartz came through with consecutive kills to force a set point. The Tigers fought off the first set point, but the attack on their second went awry and the Colonels came away with a 25-22 victory.
- After dropping the first two points of the fourth set, Centre scored the next five and never looked back. The Colonels extended their lead as the game went along and scored six out of the final seven points to clinch the match with a 25-12 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Centre hit .253 on the night while limiting Trinity to a percentage of .140. Centre hit over .400 in two of the four sets, including .463 in the clinching fourth set. Trinity's hitting percentage declined during each set.
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Syd Bietz had one of her best games of the season, leading all players with 16 kills while Christopher had 14 and Grundy finished with ten on a .529 hitting percentage.
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Elle B Smith finished with an even 40 assists, giving her ten games on the year past the 40 mark.
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Campbell Miles finished with 23 digs to lead all players, finishing two shy of a career high.
NEXT UP
Centre volleyball will wrap up the home SAA pod on Saturday with a pair of matches against Southwestern and no. 10 Berry. The Colonels will also host Senior Day before the matchup with Berry.
