Box Score
by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Seniors Meredith Watkins and Kati Wood each recorded double-doubles for host Barton College in a 3-2 Conference Carolinas women's volleyball loss to Limestone College on Saturday afternoon in Wilson Gymnasium.
The Saints dropped the first two sets 25-23 and 25-19 before making the improbable comeback with 25-15, 25-19, 15-12 victories in the final three sets. Limestone improved its records to 3-12 overall and 3-4 in the league.
The Lady Bulldogs have twice lost matches this season after taking commanding 2-0 set leads (Chowan on Sept. 1). Barton will next hit the road for a pair of Conference Carolinas showdowns next weekend. The Bulldogs first visit Pfeiffer University (Misenheimer, N.C.) on Friday at 7 p.m. before battling Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Sophomore middle blocker Melissa Cochran – who leads Conference Carolinas in hitting percentage entering play on Saturday – ripped 15 kills and only made two errors on 31 swings for .419 accuracy. Cochran also tallied three solo blocks and one block assist for a team high 18.5 points.
Wood blasted 16 kills and made 11 digs for her team-high seventh double-double. Watkins followed with 14 digs and a season-most 14 digs. Sophomore Jillian Sherman was the only other Bulldog with more than one kill with five.
Barton trailed 22-21 in a tight first set before closing out the frame on a 4-1 run. Wood started the closing rally with a kill before a pair of spikes by Watkins set up set point that was won on a kill by Cochran. Sophomore setter Amanda Grandy made 14 of her 33 assists in the opener.
Senior Chelsea Fleury's second service ace of the second set lifted Barton to a 14-10 advantage at the midway point before coasting to the six-point win because of nine hitting errors by Limestone.
The Lady Bulldogs showed no signs of letting up to start the third set winning the first three points but Limestone quickly answered with five straight points. The Saints clung to a 9-7 lead before winning seven consecutive serves to pull away. Senior Stephanie Dover helped start the visitor's comeback with seven of her match-high 20 kills in the middle set.
Limestone dominated play in the fourth to square the match with the Saints winning 14 of the first 16 points to take a double digit advantage. The Bulldogs fended off Limestone's first five tries at set point to close the final deficit to six but a kill by freshman Regan Youngs after a LC timeout sent the match into the shortened decisive fifth set.
Watkins hammered home a kill to give Barton a three-point lead when the two teams traded ends of the court midway through the fifth and the Bulldogs seemed in control as Wood stuffed away her own kill on the ensuing play to stretch the hosts cushion to 9-5. A service error ended Barton's momentum and Limestone took advantage with five straight points to catapult ahead 10-9. The Saints maintained the momentum and finished off the retaliation with a 10-3 run. Limestone hit .467 with eight kills in the fifth.
Dover's match-high 20 kills was a season-high for her. Freshman Emily Gotsch kept pace with Dover with her own 19 spikes while Youngs netted 10 kills. Freshman Jessica Onken had an impressive match with 45 assists, 17 digs and four aces. Junior Rebecca Kerrison lifted up a match-high 25 digs.
Sophomore Corinna Morton logged 16 digs and Grandy scooped up 13. Fleury and Morton served up four and three aces, respectively, while Cochran and junior Jordan Lee each had three solo blocks and one block assist.
