Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Sophomore Jillian Sherman spiked a season-high 12 kills and the Barton College women's volleyball team hit .303 to sweep a Conference Carolinas clash against archrival Mount Olive College – 26-24, 25-16, 26-24 – on Wednesday night in the Dog House.
The Lady Bulldogs won for a third time in its last five outings and remains undefeated at home at 2-0. Barton will enter Family Weekend with 3-7 overall and 2-1 league records. BC hosts conference foes Belmont Abbey College on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Coker College on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. during the College's Family Weekend.
"It was great to get this win tonight in front of our fans," Barton first year head coach Jeff Lennox said. "The energy from our team and in the gym was amazing."
The Trojans slipped under .500 at 5-6 overall and 1-2 in the league.
Trailing 24-20 and Mount Olive serving for quadruple set point in the first, Barton rattled off the next six points for an impressive comeback win to take control of the contest. The momentum shifting surge was capped by three consecutive kills by sophomore middle blocker Melissa Cochran.
Cochran finished with a match-high 14 kills on 22 attempts without an error for a staggering .636 hitting percentage. Sherman hit .281 and senior Kati Wood matched Sherman with 12 spikes on .219 hitting accuracy.
The Royal Blue and White scored the first two points of the middle set and never trailed. Barton doubled up the Trojans, 22-11, with an 8-1 run that featured service aces by senior Meredith Watkins and sophomore Corinna Morton before coasting to the nine-point win.
Barton built a late 22-18 lead in the final set before Mount Olive used a 6-2 rally to tie the frame at 24-all. A couple attacking errors by the Trojans helped the hosts avoid the letdown to complete the sweep with another extended 26-24 set win.
Sophomore setter Amanda Grandy set up the Lady Bulldogs hot-handed hitters with 38 assists. Barton's .303 hitting percentage was a season-best precision.
Wood completed her fourth double-double with 13 digs and Morton tallied her own 13 digs to tie for match-best honors. Watkins made 11 digs and Grandy followed with nine. Morton served up two of the Lady Bulldogs six aces and Wood registered three block assists.
Mount Olive statistical leaders included 10 kills from Sarah Robertson; 27 assists and four aces from Nicole Karas; and 12 digs by Lauren Lee.
