Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Sophomore outside hitter Jillian Sherman recorded career-highs of 19 kills and 12 digs for her first collegiate double-double to lead the Barton College women's volleyball team to a dramatic 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-11) non-conference victory over visiting Chowan University on Wednesday evening in the Dog House.
The Lady Bulldogs hit .216 and posted season-best totals of 13 service aces and 12 team blocks to improve to 4-9 overall. The Hawks had a seven-match win streak snapped to slip to 4-9 on the season.
"It was great to see the team have some fight in them tonight to come back and take the fourth and fifth set," Barton first year head coach Jeff Lennox said. "Beating Chowan the second time around half way through the season shows that we are making good progress."
Barton sophomore setter Amanda Grandy had a big match with season-highs of 47 assists, 13 digs and six aces. Grandy helped set up the Bulldogs attack that featured 19 spikes by Sherman, 14 kills ripped by senior Kati Wood and 11 blasts by sophomore Melissa Cochran.
The hosts jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set and never trailed in the opener. A kill by junior Jordan Lee just inside the back line ended the three-point win for the Lady Bulldogs. Five service aces by Chowan in the second set allowed the visitors to tie the match with a four-point win.
The Hawks then jumped ahead two games to one with the aid of seven kills off the arm of sophomore Nikira Fults in the middle stanza. Barton was determined to fight back and avenge a five-set, season-opening loss at Chowan that started the season and jumped out to a 6-nil lead to begin the fourth. The Hawks used a 9-3 run to tie the set at 9-all but Barton retook its lead by winning five of the next six points before pulling away to the seven-point win to push the match to the limit.
A Sherman kill followed by a Grandy ace to start the decisive fifth set the tone for the final frame. Barton led from start to finish and built a 9-3 lead on consecutive kills by Cochran, senior Sammy Jo Hinnant and Wood. Chowan kept fighting and used a 7-3 rally to pull within two at 12-10 before the Lady Bulldogs put away the match as a pair of kills by Wood that was sandwiched around a tandem block by Wood and Lee.
Barton dug up a season-high 79 balls with five Lady Bulldogs registered double digit digs including a team-high 20 by sophomore Corinna Morton; a season-best 17 by senior Chelsea Fleury; 13 by Grandy; and 12 by both Wood and Sherman.
BC's defensive efforts were also highlighted by 12 team blocks. Lee had three solo rejections to go along with three block assists; Cochran logged two solo and four block assists; and Wood helped on three blocks.
Grandy and Fleury accounted for 10 of 13 aces by the Royal Blue and White with six and four launches, respectively.
Chowan received 15 kills from a trio of players in Fults, Karina Monroe and Monica Ruffin. Callie Armistead tallied a match-high 52 assists and Cindy Ehrich scooped up a match-best 31 digs.
Barton will close its season-long, six-match home stand with a pair of Conference Carolinas tilts over the weekend. The Lady Bulldogs host Lees-McRae College on Friday at 7 p.m. and Limestone College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
