PEMBROKE – Despite a third-set comeback attempt, the UNC Pembroke volleyball team fell in Peach Belt Conference action to nationally-ranked Armstrong Atlantic in four sets on Tuesday evening inside of the English E. Jones Center.
The Pirates (14-0, 6-0), who have now won eight-straight against the Lady Braves (9-10, 2-5), defeated UNCP on Tuesday night, 25-12, 25-15, 19-25 and 25-19. Armstrong improves to 39-9 all-time against the Black and Gold.
"The problem tonight is that we started off slow, and that's what really did it for us. Our blocking didn't execute well tonight, but we were able to pick it up and steal a set from them. We need to eliminate our mistakes," said UNCP head coach Angie Byrd.
UNCP's attack was led by Caroline Pridgen's 11 kills, while Cecilia Brandon was efficient with her attacks, collecting eight kills in 16 attempts for a .375 attack percentage. Defensively, Danielle Brown turned in 21 digs, and Sabrina Gonzalez added 14 digs for the Black and Gold. Dishing out the ball was Shekinah-Joy Toloumu, who churned out 32 assists.
Armstrong relied on a strong net presence to overcome the Black and Gold, totaling nine blocks and allowing UNCP just a .122 hitting percentage. Emily Wylie produced a match-high 16 kills, while Jessica Santaniello and Kristen Holmes also finished with double-digit kills, tallying 12 kills apiece. Taylor Permenter paced the Pirates' blocking efforts with five block assists.
Santaniello helped the Pirates take control in the first set, leading a four-point run to give Armstrong a 14-8 lead. The Pirates continued to carry the momentum through the remainder of the set, with back-to-back kills from Santaniello closing out the opening stanza. Armstrong continued to dominate in the second frame, pulling away once again on the strong serving of Santaniello. A service ace from Stephanie Sfara brought the Pirates to set point and a kill by Kristen Holmes put Armstrong up, 2-0.
The third set was tied at 12-12 when Gonzalez sparked an offensive surge and carried UNCP on a 6-0 run to jump ahead, 18-12. The Lady Braves controlled the tempo the rest of the way, forcing a fourth set after a kill from Pridgen earned set point.
"I saw a lot of intensity in the third set. They did the little things we talked about in between sets, taking that extra step to the ball, getting a little bit louder and cheering a little bit more. They wanted it a little bit more, and that's what did it for us," said Byrd.
Armstrong took a three-point lead, 9-6, early in the fourth set, but Gonzalez fueled the UNCP offense once more, helping the Lady Braves take the lead, 10-9, after four-consecutive points. Megan Pando put the Pirates back on top, 15-11, and Armstrong held on to its lead all the way to match point.
UNCP will look to rebound on Friday as the Lady Braves travel to Montevallo, Ala., for a PBC matchup with Montevallo (11-5, 4-3) at 8 p.m. inside of the Trustmark Arena.
To watch the full game click HERE.
