ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The UNCP woman's volleyball team fell in three straight sets, 25-13, 25-20 and 25-16, to Armstrong Atlantic in a quarterfinal match of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament on Friday morning at the Flagler Gymnasium.
The Lady Braves (5-26) were overwhelmed by an Armstrong (30-6) offense that totaled 47 kills and a .360 hitting percentage. UNCP was held to just 24 kills and a .103 hitting percentage. The Lady Braves were outmatched on defense as the Pirates notched four team blocks, compared to one team block from the Black and Gold.
Junior Sawyer Gray delivered all seven service aces for UNCP, while senior Shay Peterson posted a team-high seven kills. Gray, along with Marissa Baker and Ashtin Truesdale, added five kills apiece for the Black and Gold. Peterson led them team with nine digs and Ashlyn Rebok dished out a team-best 20 assists.
Armstrong was led by Jessica Santaniello, who slammed 13 kills, while Amanda Jones and Brittany Wolf contributed 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Ashley Seal collected a team-high 29 assists and Megan Pando added 14 assists for the Pirates. Carina Marinho tallied four service aces, with three aces coming from Stephanie Sfara.
"We came into the game knowing it could possibly be the last game of the season and unfortunately it was. Our goal was to go out there, play as hard as we can, and go out with a bang," said UNCP head coach Angie Byrd. "Everybody played well where we needed them, it was a total team effort, but unfortunately we fell short, but I'm very pleased with the way the girls played. We went out with a bang."
The Pirates opened up the match with a commanding 9-2 run, with four consecutive points served up by Sfara. Armstrong remained in control of the first set, as Santaniello served the final three points, with Amanda Jones posting back-to-back kills.
Despite falling behind 5-2 early in the second set, the Lady Braves were able to tie up the score at 6-6 behind two consecutive service aces from Gray. UNCP kept the second set close, taking the lead 17-16 as Gray delivered four straight service aces. The Pirates would close the set out on a 4-2 run, with a kill from Brittany Wolf for set point.
Marinho led the Pirates on a six-point run to take a 10-3 lead in the final set. Truesdale kept the Black and Gold alive with four consecutive serves, bringing the Lady Braves within five points at 17-12. A UNCP error, followed by a kill from Santaniello would close out the match for Armstrong, who will advance to the PBC semifinal round tomorrow.
"After the way we played today, next season is going to be exciting. If we can take this level of play into next year, with the recruits we're bringing in, I think we'll be the team to beat," said Byrd.
