See also: Volleyball Outlasts Walsh Through Five Sets At Abbey Road Invitational

BELMONT – Despite a solid defensive effort the UNC Pembroke volleyball team was shut down by Arkansas Tech in three-straight sets, 25-13, 25-16 and 25-16, on Friday evening at the Abbey Road Invitational hosted by Belmont Abbey. All matches are played inside of the Wheeler Center.

The strong hitting of the Golden Suns (3-2) proved to be too much for the Black and Gold (2-6), as Arkansas Tech tallied a .244 hitting percentage and 34 kills. The Lady Braves took the advantage on defense, finishing with eight team blocks, including two solo blocks from Sabrina Gonzalez and four block assists from Cecilia Brandon. UNCP was led on offense by Morgan Westphal and Sarah Bower, who notched six kills apiece. Emily Todd had a game-best nine kills for Arkansas Tech, while Sara Motsinger chipped in eight kills to the Golden Suns' offense.

Arkansas Tech took control from the very beginning of set one, jumping out to a 12-4 lead. The Golden Suns led by as much as 12, 19-7, after Sierra Nighswonger forced the Lady Braves to make four-straight errors. UNCP was not able to create much offensively in the first set, registering just six kills, compared to 11 from the Golden Suns.

Set number two was not much different for the Black and Gold, as UNCP could only string together six kills for the second time. Nighswonger once again charged an offensive surge for the Golden Suns, serving eight-consecutive points to give Arkansas Tech a 16-6 lead. The Lady Braves fell behind even further as Motsinger helped the Golden Suns stretch their lead out to 21-9, before Arkansas Tech would eventually win the set on a back-to-back kills.

UNCP saw its best hitting performance in set number three, totaling 11 kills for a .156 hitting percentage. The Lady Braves kept the final set close, as Marissa Baker and Westphal combined for five points, bringing the score to 9-9. Then for the third time in the match, Nighswonger helped the Golden Suns pull ahead by leading a 9-0 run. The Lady Braves were unable to make up for the deficit and the Golden Suns put the match away on a UNCP service error.

The Lady Braves will return to the court tomorrow as they finish up play in the Abbey Invitational. UNCP will face host school, Belmont Abbey (4-2), at 11 a.m., and later match up with Claflin (1-4) at 4 p.m.