Box Score by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – For the third time in the young season, the Barton women's volleyball team was forced to play five sets, this time falling to Chowan University 3-2 (18-25, 13-25, 25-18, 26-24, 15-13) in its 2016 home opener in Wilson Gymnasium.
Barton looked to be in control early on winning the opening two sets of play 25-18 and 25-13 while forcing the Hawks to hit at a lowly -.015 mark. In contrast, BC registered a .269 hitting percentage in the two sets, committing just seven errors as a unit.
However, Chowan took control in the third set and tallied 16 kills compared to only three errors for a .419 hitting mark, defeating Barton 25-18 in the process to keep the match alive.
In the fourth set, Barton built a five-point lead and stretch its advantage to a 17-11 margin after a service ace by sophomore Angelica Acevedo. Chowan battled back to within three points before using a 5-0 run late in the set to go ahead 24-22. Back-to-back kills by sophomore Hayley Marshburn kept the Lady Bulldogs alive until CU took advantage of a Barton service error and a kill by Morgan Spencer to tie the match at two sets apiece.
The Lady Bulldogs and Hawks were evenly matched early on in the fifth set, playing to four total ties before the Hawks scored four straight points to open up the game and gain control. BC was able to get within one point of the Chowan lead but a timely block by the CU front line ended the match.
Acevedo reached the 1,000 career assist mark with 11 assists in the first set alone, finishing the match with a career-high 50 helpers to go along with 13 digs and four service aces for her third double-double of the year. Now with 1,039 assists in just her second season, the Caomo, Puerto Rico native is the seventh member of the women's volleyball program to surpass the milestone since Barton joined the NCAA in 1995.
Senior Kaitlyn Micol paced the BC offense with 14 kills and a .323 hitting percentage, while Marshburn followed with 13 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore middle Allie Cullens hit .500 for the match, totaling 12 kills, as senior Mariana Kedzia had a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs. Redshirt-sophomore Riley Bane led the team with 21 digs from her libero position, while junior Laura Peed contributed 13 digs on defense.
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Florence, S.C. this weekend to compete in four matches in the FMU Invitational hosted by Francis Marion University.
