Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Cory Guinn
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Barton College women's volleyball team struggled on Day 1 of the CBU Invitational, falling to host Christian Brothers University and Arkansas Tech University in back-to-back matches on Friday.
Christian Brothers 3, Barton 1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-22)
The Royal Blue and White won its first set of the new season 25-22, taking a 1-0 lead in the match with a final kill from freshman Kelsey Riquelme. However, Barton could not continue its momentum, falling in consecutive sets to the Buccaneers to lose 3-1 overall.
After struggling in the second and third sets of play, the Lady Bulldogs looked to mount a comeback in the fourth and final set. Barton fell behind by as many as eight points early on but closed the gap to a one-point deficit late in the set. A kill by CBU's Emma Lenoir ended the threat and sealed the victory for the host.
Riquelme finished her first career match with 11 kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Senior Mariana Kedzia recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs, while sophomore Hayley Marshburn had a double-double of her own with 13 kills and 11 digs.
Redshirt-sophomore Riley Bane had a team-high 15 digs on defense and three service aces, as junior Courtney Wiseman was the fourth Lady Bulldog with double-digit digs, finishing with 10. Sophomore setter Angelica Acevedo paced the offense with a match-high 38 assists to along with seven digs.
Arkansas Tech 3, Barton 2 (25-18, 27-25, 25-27, 15-25, 15-13)
Marshburn led all players with a career-high 24 kills, hitting at a .288 clip to go along with eight digs, but the Lady Bulldogs fell in five sets to Arkansas Tech in the second match of the day for each team.
The Golden Suns gained an early advantage, winning the first set 25-18 before taking a 2-0 lead with a 27-25 win in set two. Arkansas Tech hit .343 as a unit in the second set to take the win.
Barton rebounded in the third set, forcing Arkansas Tech to hit .028 while taking a 27-25 decision. BC opened the set with five straight points, building a lead as large as seven points midway through. The Golden Suns forced three ties down the stretch, but a Kedzia kill and an ATU attack error gave Barton the win.
The Lady Bulldogs won the fourth set by a 10-point margin, hitting at a .243 clip and committing just four errors. However, a late surge by the Golden Suns allowed ATU to take the final set and end the match with BC on the losing end.
Kedzia finished the match with her second double-double of the day, totaling 19 kills and 12 digs, while Acevedo finished with 44 assists and a career-high 20 digs. The Coamo, Puerto Rico native also chipped in four service aces as Bane contributed 14 digs of her own.
The CBU Invitational concludes for Barton tomorrow with matches against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Southwest Baptist.
