Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
MISENHEIMER, N.C.-Senior Kati Wood pulled the Barton College women's volleyball team to within two points of host Pfeiffer University with her 1,000th kill midway through the fourth set but the Lady Falcons remained ahead to close out a 3-1 Conference Carolinas victory on Friday night in Merner Gym.
Wood entered the contest needing 15 spikes to reach the milestone and she netted exactly 15 kills to pace all players. The Pasadena, Md., product becomes the first Lady Bulldog to reach the 1,000-kill plateau since Melissa Ritter in 2009.
Pfeiffer (3-12 Overall; 2-5 Conf.) ended a four-match losing skid by hitting .236 to win the 25-19, 21-25, 28-26, 25-21 showdown. Barton (4-12; 2-6) hit slightly lower at .190 in the four close sets.
The Falcons flew out to an 8-1 lead in the opening set after a pair of early kills by Kelly Lancellot. Back-to-back aces from the Barton sophomore setter Amanda Grandy and two straight kills from Wood had the visitors to within four at 14-10 but after an ace by Milana Mervosh and a handful of errors by the Bulldogs, Anna Vizvary would finish off the first frame with one of her eight kills on the night.
Set two went back-and-forth to the end and featured 16 ties and nine lead changes. Tied at 20-20, Barton took advantage of a Pfeiffer ball handling error followed by two kills from Wood and sophomore Jillian Sherman. Grandy then served up an ace before Wood closed out the 25-21 equalizing win with another smash.
The two teams needed extra points in the third set to determine who would move to within one set of winning the match. Pfeiffer staved off four set points by Barton who led 24-20. Four Bulldog miscues allowed the Lady Falcons to pull even at 24. Emily Wall and Amber Wooten completed Pfeiffer's 28-26 comeback win with consecutive kills.
Sophomore Melissa Cochran helped the Bulldogs bolt out to an 8-5 lead in the fourth before Pfeiffer again stormed back after two more kills from Lancellot. Wood's 1,000th kill followed by an ace by Grandy inched Barton to within one at 15-14 but the Falcons flew away by winning six of the next eight points before finishing off the match with a four-point set win in the fourth.
O'Bryant led the Lady Falcons with 11 kills followed closely by Mervosh and Wooten, who each had 10. Wall would lead the way in assists with 23, Meghan Davis posted 21, while Mervosh finished of a double-double adding 11 digs. Libero Cate Glendenning led the team with 17 digs.
Wood notched a night-best 15 kills and made 10 digs for her eighth double-double. Cochran claimed 13 kills and Sherman and senior Meredith Watkins each blasted nine spikes. Grandy set up the attack with a match-best 42 assists. Sophomore libero Corinna Morton and senior defensive specialist Chelsea Fleury contributed on defense with 18 and 11 digs, respectively. Grandy tallied three aces and Cochran registered six combined blocks (2 solo, 4 assist).
Barton next visits Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday at 2 p.m.
NOTE: Special thanks to Pfeiffer sports information for contributing portions of the release
