HARRISONBURG, Va. – For the second straight year, the College of Charleston volleyball team fell in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship title game. UNCW claimed the tournament crown with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-14) decision at Sinclair Gymnasium on Sunday.
CofC never quite found its rhythm after winning consecutive five-set matches in two days to earn a spot in the championship game.
“I can't begin to explain how proud I am of this group of senior and this team,” CofC head coach Jason Kepner said. “They battled every step of the way and accomplished a lot this season. They have a lot to be proud of. Full credit to UNCW, they rode the momentum from their win last night, came out and played a great match.”
The fifth-seeded Cougars (20-13) entered the weekend looking for their 15th straight conference title. A No. 5 seed has never won the CAA tournament. The loss also snapped the team's seven-match winning streak and was the squad's only loss in the month of November. With the pair of wins in the CAA Championships, CofC has now posted 20 or more wins in six consecutive seasons.
Senior Kayla Tronick posted a team-high 10 kills. Allison Beckman finished the match with 20 assists while McKala Rhodes had 14 digs.
Senior Melissa Morello, who had six kills on Sunday, finishes her career seventh in College of Charleston history with 1,470 career kills. She stands tenth in the all-time record books with 1,287 digs.
Tronick and Morello were named to the CAA All-Tournament team.
For more information on College of Charleston volleyball, visit CofCSports.com or follow the team on Twitter at @CofCVolleyball.
