Winning for the second time in three outings, the Bearcat volleyball team swept Charleston 26-24, 25-16, 25-15 on Monday night to kick off a three match week.
The Bearcats fell behind 2-0 in the first set but after a service break, Emily Wooldridge took over and stayed on the service line through a 9-2 lead that induced a Charleston time out.
A kill by Kaylee Ray and two by Ellie Smith – she had 12 on the night – started the rally, and Wooldridge served up an ace. A dig by Lilly Downs kept the final point of the drive alive.
The Tigers responded with a run of their own and eventually forged a 12-12 tie prompting a Bailey Stringer time out call.
After a back-and-forth series that saw it tied at 16-16 a long return gave the Bearcats the lead and another Wooldridge ace made it 18-16.
Again Charleston rallied to take a lead before a block by Shelbie Myers tied it at 21 but the next two points went to the Tigers.
Out of a time out a net serve and a long return retied it at 23.
With Ray serving, a kill by Vanessa O’Neal got the Bearcats within a point of the set only to have Charleston retie the set at 24.
A block attempt that went out of bounds sent Downs to the service line and a smash by Lyddia Franklin would provide the winning point.
In the second set Charleston would jump out to a 7-0 lead but after a break, then Farrah Stringer went to serve and would stay threw throw a Brooklyn Philips kill hat tied it at 7-7.
Charleston led 11-10 when Stringer set Smith up for a point that tied it and for another kill for the lead.
The Bearcats would start to separate from there with an ace by Ray making it 22-14.
A Franklin kill sent Downs to serve for the set clinching series that included an ace and another smash from Franklin to finish it.
Stringer was on serve to start the third set and it was 4-0 quickly in a series than included an ace.
The lead reached 11-5 when a Ray dig turned into another Franklin smash resulting in a Charleston time out. It would not help as Smith set O’Neal for a kill to make it a double digit lead at 15-5.
The lead would be as many as 11 a couple of times, including after a Smith kill at 19-8, then 12 after another by Smith to make it 20-8 and a Stringer ace for a 21-8 edge.
Charleston whittled the deficit to 21-13 and 23-16 before two Smith kills ended it.
The Lady Bearcats are at Lamar today for a series including the junior high, who won their match 2-1 in Charleston, the JV team, and seventh grade teams. First tip is at 4 p.m.
BEARCATS SWEEP CHARLESTON TO START THREE MATCH WEEK
