College of Charleston
Towson
Volleyball Shocks Towson In Five Set Comeback
11/3/2014 12:41:00 AM | Volleyball
TOWSON, Md. – For the second time this season, College of Charleston volleyball fought back from two sets down to stun the Tigers of Towson University on Sunday afternoon, 3-2 (20-25, 17-25, 25-24, 25-21, 15-10) at SECU Arena.
The win puts The College (18-9, 10-2 CAA) in to a tie for first place in the conference standings with just four matches remaining. The regular season conference champion will play host for the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association championships.
The Cougars were once again paced by a strong team defensive effort as three Cougars racked up double digit digs, including senior libero Andi Zbojniewicz who picked up a team high 22. While the Cougars only had seven blocks, it was the team's ability to get critical block touches over the final three games that kept points alive for Cougars and allowed them to transition in to the attack.
Providing the firepower for the Cougars was senior Cara Howley who stepped up huge for the Cougars to put away 16 kills. Junior Melissa Morello also had 16 kills and 18 digs, while senior right side Sloane White continued to play well, putting away 14 kills while also managing 14 digs. Setter Kallie McKown notched her conference leading 19th double-double of the season on Sunday, dishing out 32 assists and digging up 21 balls against a formidable Tiger attack.
The Cougars held Towson (23-4, 9-3 CAA) to just a .212 overall team hitting percentage, well under their .297 season average.
After quickly dropping the opening two games 25-20 and 25-17, the Cougars were faced with a win or go home scenario in the third frame. After falling behind 12-8 following a kill from Victoria Williams, CofC looked in trouble, but a late push culminated by a thumping kill from senior Cara Howley put the Cougars back in it at 18 all. After the Tigers rattled off two straight, the Cougars stepped up and once more fought their way back to force a tie at 23-23. After a Sloane White kill fended off a match point for the Tigers, two straight Towson attack errors then gave the Cougars the game, 26-24, and the momentum
The Cougars found themselves in another fight in Game four, but with the set tied at 18-18, the Cougars scored seven of the next 10 points to force the match to a deciding fifth frame.
The decider was all CofC as the Cougars jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead courtesy of a kill from senior Catey Warren. That lead was extended to 12-7 after another kill from Warren, before Howley eventually sealed the match on great set from freshman Mackenzie Cooler, handing the Cougars a memorable come from behind victory.
Next up for CofC is a Friday night clash with UNC Wilmington at home, where first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
ADDITIONAL MATCH NOTES:
-After technical difficulties at the SECU Arena delayed the national anthem prior to the match on Sunday, College of Charleston volleyball took it upon themselves to sing the Star Spangled Banner for the mostly partisan crowd. The girls' performance was well-received by the Towson faithful, with one spectator in attendance describing the moment as “transcendent”.
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