NEWBERRY — Coming into the matchup, the Wolves knew that had to increase their intensity if they wanted to get the win and stay in the thick of the race for the South Atlantic Conference postseason play especially played Lenoir-Rhyne, currently sitting at forth play in the conference.

“This was a big night for us,” said Head Coach Ross Kessler. “After going through a tough weekend, we came in tonight with a chip on our shoulder and something to prove. We showed our fans and our conference that we’re still right in the fight and capable of playing at a high level.”

Newberry (8-11, 3-9 SAC) was able to complete the sweep off set scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-21.

The Wolves fell behind early in the first set, 4-1 off attacking errors that gave the Bears momentum. Newberry was able to swing the momentum their way, scoring four of the next five points in the set to knot it up a five each. With teams trading points, the Wolves were able to take a 10-7 off errors committed by the Bears along with a service ace from Sidra Triplett and a kill from Angela Gore.

With neither team able to gain much advantage at the midway point, Newberry was able to break a 14-14 tie with a kill form Toni-Anne Whitlow, Triplett and a service ace from Taylor Garrison to make it 17-14. Newberry was able to maintain the lead throughout the remainder of the set, including pushing their lead to 22-18. The Bears rallied late, making it 24-23 before a service errors gave the Wolves the set victory. This was one of Lenoir-Rhyne’s 21 errors of the night.

With Newberry taking a commanding 2-0 lead in sets, they knew the third set would be the toughest as they had to stay focus if they wanted the sweep. The Wolves set the tone early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead including two service aces from Olivia Kozemko.

With a match built on runs, the Bears scored three points, making it 11-10 in favor of the Wolves. The biggest run came as Newberry extended their lead to 18-11. The Wolves benefited off three Bears errors and Gore having two crucial kills. Lenoir-Rhyne did not go away quietly, as they tied the set up at 19-19. Newberry quickly put the Bears in hibernation, ending on a 6-2 run.

Newberry was paced by Whitlow with 11 kills while Lacie Wood added seven kills. Kozemko and Garrison orchestrated the offense with 21 and 18 assists respectively.

Kensley Jordan and Vanessa Blas played keys roles in the backcourt, with Jordan having 18 digs and Blas with 13 digs.

The Wolves held the advantage in hitting with Newberry connecting on .217 percent of their attacks to Lenoir-Rhyne’s .124.

“I’m proud of our kids,” said Kessler. “It was a lot of fun watching them play tonight. We’ll enjoy the win and buckle down tomorrow and start preparing for another tough match against Carson-Newman this weekend.”

The Wolves hit the road today to take on Carson-Newman in a crucial match in the SAC at noon.

The Wolves held the advantage in hitting with Newberry connecting on .217 percent of their attacks to Lenoir-Rhyne’s .124.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_NCVolleyballLR.jpgThe Wolves held the advantage in hitting with Newberry connecting on .217 percent of their attacks to Lenoir-Rhyne’s .124. Courtesy photo

Staff Report