Box Score by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Sophomore Shae Schmidt tallied 13 kills to highlight play for Barton College in a 3-0 Conference Carolinas women's volleyball loss to visiting Belmont Abbey College on Friday evening in Wilson Gymnasium.
Junior Hannah Schellenberg – the reigning Conference Carolinas Player of the Year – ripped a match-high 19 kills in leading the Crusaders to the 25-22, 25-19, 25-21 conquest. Schellenberg, who entered the match ranking fourth in NCAA Division II with 4.9 kills per set, hit .319 on 47 swings while adding nine digs.
The current two-time defending Conference Carolinas Tournament Champions improved to 11-13 overall and 7-4 in the league with their fourth straight conference triumph. Belmont Abbey hit .272 for the match in spoiling Barton's Dig Pink and Homecoming match.
The Lady Bulldogs slip to 7-14 overall and under .500 in the league at 5-6 with their third consecutive conference defeat.
Barton hit a decent .184 but were just unable match Schellenberg and the Crusaders offense.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Micol followed Schmidt's 13 spikes with nine of her own. Freshman Courtney Wiseman added seven kills. Freshman setter Riley Bane supplied her fifth double-double of the season with Barton best totals of 28 assists and 13 digs.
BC did well on its front line defense with 9.5 team blocks. Micol had two solo blocks and two block assists. Junior Brittany Edwards also contributed on four Lady Bulldog blocks.
The Abbey pulled out to a 17-9 advantage in the first set with an 8-0 run on freshman Coreen Norwood's service rotation. Barton fought back with a 12-3 run to take a late 21-20 edge that was capped by two consecutive aces by senior Amanda Grandy. However, the Crusaders won five of the next six points to close out the set that featured three kills by Schellenberg.
Belmont Abbey had its best attacking set in the middle period with a .412 hitting percentage in rolling to the 2-nil cushion.
The visitors then led for most of the final frame but Barton kept things close throughout. A senior Melissa Cochran kill pulled the Lady Bulldogs within two at 18-16 but the Abbey never led BC score more than one point in a row in closing out the match.
Barton will wrap up Homecoming weekend play with a league clash against Pfeiffer University in the Dog House on Saturday at 2 p.m.
