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Box Score 2
by Kevin Buczek
SPARTANBURG, S.C.-The Barton College women's volleyball team picked up its first Conference Carolinas win of the season with a 3-1 victory over host Converse College on Saturday. BC then lost a next neutral site match that afternoon in Hannah Gym to Augusta State University in straight sets.
The Lady Bulldogs return back to Wilson after the three-game weekend trip in South Carolina with a 2-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in league play. Barton will start a six-match home stand against local conference rival Mount Olive College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
FINAL: Barton 3, Converse 1
Sophomore Melissa Cochran ripped a season-high 17 kills as Barton evened its Conference Carolinas record with a 25-21, 26-28, 25-23, 25-20 win over Converse.
The Lady Bulldogs hit over 20-percent for the first time this season finishing the match swinging at a .275 clip. Cochran paced the way recording her 17 kills on just 22 attempts with just one error to finish with a .727 accuracy.
Seniors Kati Wood and Meredith Watkins followed with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Wood added 11 digs for her third double-double of the early season. Sophomore Jillian Sherman chipped in with nine spikes, tying her season-best total.
Sophomore specialists Amanda Grandy and Corinna Morton each played well. Grandy set up Barton's offense with 37 assists and had 12 digs. Morton was the Lady Bulldogs defensive anchor with a match-high 20 digs.
Senior Chelsea Fleury served up four aces and Grandy launched three aces.
Barton trailed 18-17 in the first set but closed the opener on an 8-3 run highlighted by aces by both Fleury and Grandy. A kill by Cochran offered the Lady Bulldogs one chance at set point in the second at 26-25, but the Valkyries won the next three points to finally even the score on the team's third set point chance. BC held a very slim lead throughout most of the third and was able to hang on for a two-point win finished off with a kill by Watkins. The Lady Bulldogs scored the first five points of the fourth and eventually won by that margin to close out the match.
FINAL: Augusta State 3, Barton 0
Augusta State won its third straight match with a 25-16, 25-20, 25-13 sweep of the Lady Bulldogs. The Jaguars hit .480 in the match. ASU went on to sweep Converse late Saturday afternoon for a fourth consecutive victory before departing town with a 7-3 overall ledger.
Wood led Barton's attack with nine kills. Sherman registered seven kills and Cochran had six.
Grandy tallied 22 assists and Fleury made a team-best six digs against a hot hitting Jaguars squad.
