SWEET BRIAR, Va. – The Sweet Briar College volleyball team (0-2) continued action at home this evening with a match against the Bluefield University Rams (1-0). The Vixens ultimately fell in three sets, 6-25, 6-25, 10-25.
In the first set, Sweet Briar generated only one kill while Bluefield's aggressive serving and efficient offense put Sweet Briar on the defensive early. Despite some service aces and solid efforts from senior
Clara Delattre (Long Lake, Minn.) and senior
Gracyn Wright (Rock Hill, S.C.), the set closed 25-6 in Bluefield's favor.
The second set began more competitively, with Sweet Briar collecting a few early kills and tightening up on serve receive. Delattre in particular tried to spark the attack, swinging for two kills in the frame, while Wright continued to anchor the back row with steady serve reception and digs. However, timely Bluefield serving runs and a multi-pronged attack limited Sweet Briar's ability to string points together. Sweet Briar finished the set with two kills and ultimately fell, 25-6.
In the third and final set, Sweet Briar briefly gained momentum after Bluefield put a ball out and the Vixens capitalized on a couple of opponent errors to take a 3-1 lead. First-years
Rachael Hunt (Willow Spring, N.C.) and
Makena Huewe (Walker, Minn.) each tallied swings, and the team forced errors from Bluefield to remain close through the early rallies. As Bluefield's offense refocused, the Vixens found themselves chasing points, but they earned a handful of side outs off Bluefield miscues and from their own scrappy floor defense. The set saw Sweet Briar post two kills and thirteen attempts, its highest kill output of the match, but not enough to thwart another 25-10 set win by Bluefield.
Highlights
- Five Vixens registered a kill in today's match.
- Wright led the team with seven digs, half of the team's total, and one service ace.
What's Next
The Vixens will head to Shaw on Sept. 6th.
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