Box Score by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – Junior Pierre Tang-Taye collected a match-high 16 kills and sophomore Chad Stanback Jr. added 12 as Barton College downed visiting Limestone College in straight-sets, 25-22, 25-11, 25-23, Saturday at Wilson Gymnasium.
Barton (5-9, 4-6) was on pace for its best hitting performance of the season after producing attack percentages of .464 in the opening set and .440 in the second frame, but finished the match averaging .313 after a poor third set.
Limestone (8-9, 6-4) struggled after losing one of its top players, freshman middle blocker Joel Muhlbach, to injury late in the opening set. The Saints hit for a negative percentage in each of the final two frames, and finished the match with a percentage of just .043.
Juan Ruiz Goyco had a team-high six kills for the Saints, which managed just 22 total kills in the contest.
Limestone enjoyed a slim advantage through much of set one, which also featured 12 ties. The Saints led for the final time at 18-17, the play on which Muhlbach was injured.
A Goyco service error followed, giving Barton possession in an 18-all tie, and a kill by Stanback put Barton in front for the first time since 15-14. The Bulldogs extended their advantage to 20-18 on a block by Michael Perez and Brennan O'Connor, forcing a Limestone time out.
A Bulldog service error and a bad set helped Limestone tie the match back at 20, and the two sides swapped service errors to move the score to 21-all before Barton used a kill by Stanback and a block by Tanner Medina and Federico Pagliara to open up a 23-21 lead.
The Bulldogs gave a point back on a service error that pulled the Saints within one at 23-22, but a kill by O'Connor and a Limestone attack error finished off the set for Barton.
Tang-Taye had seven kills in the opening set alone and Stanback added five. Muhlbach had four kills in the frame before his injury.
With the Saints still reeling from the loss of Muhlbach, Barton jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead in set two and was never threatened. The Bulldogs received six kills in the frame from Tang-Taye, the same number as Limestone's entire team in the set. The junior from Reunion Island, France, also delivered three service aces in the frame.
The third set turned into a sloppy affair for both sides, with Barton hitting just .067 and Limestone producing a negative .036. The two teams also combined for six service errors in the frame and a pair of other miscues.
Limestone pulled away from an 11-all tie that began with a Goyco ace and ended with consecutive solo blocks by Joel McGuire. Barton climbed within two at 17-15 following a Saints ball handling error, but Limestone opened up a five-point cushion again at 21-16 on an Anthony Savage kill, forcing a Barton time out.
The Bulldogs responded with a Stanback kill to gain possession, then used three straight blocks involving Medina to close within one at 21-20.
A block by Dylan Lavner and Alejandro DeMendoza put Limestone back up by two at 22-20, but Barton used a kill by Stanback, a Saints attack error and a Stanback service ace to take the lead, 23-22. Limestone tied the set at 23-all on a Stanback service error, but a kill by O'Connor put BC on match point, and a block by Jonathan Novoa-Miralles and Medina wrapped up the Barton victory.
Medina, the league leader in blocks, had six assisted blocks in the match to lead both teams. Mike McMahon had a match-high 12 digs for the Bulldogs, and Pagliara produced 39 assists.
Barton will play its next nine matches on the road, beginning with a visit to Emmanuel College next Friday night.
