Box Score by Doug Page
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College senior Miranda Miller and freshman Kaytlin Elkins combined to record 34 kills for the Lady Bulldogs, who remained perfect in Conference Carolinas action after defeating Belmont Abbey College, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at home, 25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20.
The Lady Bulldogs up their overall record to 14-6 on the season while moving to 9-0 in conference play. The win extends BC's season-long winning streak to 11 matches. Belmont Abbey drops to 9-8 overall this season and 5-3 in conference.
Miller finished with a match-high and career-high 22 kills for Barton and added 12 digs to complete the double-double. Elkins added 12 kills to go along with nine digs on the afternoon for BC.
Barton junior Angelica Acevedo tallied a match-high 36 assists to go along with six digs, while junior Allie Cullens recorded two solo blocks and four assisted blocks for the Lady Bulldogs. Freshman Ashley Owen finished with a match-high 23 digs for BC.
Belmont Abbey was led by a trio of players who each recorded nine kills, Cassidy Bonito, Mackenzie Chrapliwy, and Brianna Morgheim. Bonito would also tally a team-high 28 assists for the Crusaders and Sarah Kenney notched a match-high 23 digs.
The opening set saw the score tied on several occasions with the lead changing hands four separate times. A kill from junior Haley Headley gave the Lady Bulldogs a 7-6 lead early in the set and looking to gain momentum. The Crusaders would answer right away however as a timeout sparked a four-point run, giving Belmont Abbey an 11-8 lead. Trailing 13-9, Barton surged to within a point of the Crusaders at 13-12 after a kill from Acevedo.
Both sides traded points mid-way through the set and would be tied 18-18 after a Lanie Haley kill for Belmont Abbey. The Lady Bulldogs put their mark on the set, using a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead. The lead would hold the rest of the way as Elkins gave BC a 1-0 lead and a 25-22 win in the set with a kill.
The Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 4-0 in the second set after back-to-back kills by Miller. Miller would later extend the BC lead to 7-1. Attack errors would plague the Crusaders in the set as Barton gained a 12-5 advantage after a miscue by Healey. Elkins gave her team a 10-point lead in the set after her kill made it 20-10 in favor of Barton. Belmont Abbey closed the gap to 24-17 after getting a kill from Morgheim off an assist by Sydney Logan. Miller secured the 25-17 victory to give the Lady Bulldogs a 2-0 lead after tallying her sixth kill of the set.
Looking to avoid being swept, Belmont Abbey surged ahead of BC 5-2 in the third set after a kill from Bonito. A 5-0 run would stretch the Crusaders' advantage to 11-4. Barton worked to close the deficit and used a 3-0 rally to trim the Belmont Abbey lead to 11-7. Chrapliwy guided her team in the set and put the Crusaders ahead 17-12 with a kill off an assist from Bonito.
Trailing 20-15, Barton called a timeout to talk things over and would trim the gap to 20-17 after a quick three-point run. BC pulled to within two points of Belmont Abbey at 21-19, but a 4-0 run by the Crusaders would give them a 25-19 victory and force a fourth set.
Belmont Abbey held an early lead in the fourth set and lead by as many as three points after a kill by Lexi Henriott. Barton rallied to even the score at 7-7 after a bad set by the Crusaders and used that momentum to keep the score close through the middle portion of the set. A kill from Healey gave her team a 17-16 lead and forced Barton to call a timeout. The timeout would rally the troops for BC, who went on a 5-0 run to take a 21-17 lead and force Belmont Abbey to use both of its timeouts in the process. Miller put the icing on the cake for BC, recording each of the final three kills needed to secure the 25-20 victory and the match.
Barton will return to action on Saturday (10/21) as the Lady Bulldogs host University of Mount Olive at 12 p.m. and Shaw University at 4 p.m. in the Wilson Gym.
