College of Charleston
William & Mary
Morello's Career Performance Leads Cougars to Win
11/8/2015 3:06:00 AM | Volleyball
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Melissa Morello made the most of College of Charleston's Senior Night as the Cougars defeated William & Mary 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25-23, 26-24) for the team's third straight win on Saturday at TD Arena.
Morello recorded a career-high 26 kills to go along with 15 digs and six blocks; it's the most kills and digs in a double-double performance since Darcy Dorton posted 26 kills and 16 digs against Towson on Nov. 15, 2013. It was also her 53rd career double-double.
“I'm proud of all three of our seniors. They all played a role in tonight's win and have played a role in so many other wins in this program's history,” head coach Jason Kepner said. “They have been wonderful examples of why our program has been successful.”
William & Mary (9-18, 3-11 CAA) took the first set in extra points, 26-24. Morello paced the home squad with nine kills. The team's captain, who already ranks eighth in career kills at CofC, is just 26 digs shy of cracking the Cougars top 10 list.
CofC (16-12, 8-6) hit .351 in the second set, taking the 25-14 victory. With the frame tied 6-6, Kayla Tronick earned a kill to kick-start a 7-0 run. In the third set, Tronick picked up her 100th block of the season; she became the first Cougar to reach the century mark in a season since Kerstin Koehler recorded 105 in 2012. Freshman Allison Beckman was again solid in setting the CofC attack; the Apex, N.C., native posted 55 assists, the most in a four-set match since Taeler Davis' 63 in 2012, which she accomplished twice. Tronick also had 15 kills and hit .423 in the match on Saturday.
College of Charleston recognized its three seniors in a pregame ceremony. Morello, a Milwaukee, Wis., native is a two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association selection and will finish her career in the top 10 in the CofC record book with more than 1,300 kills.
Grace Rebarchak has played in more than 75 matches in her CofC career and posted a career-high 12 kills against UNCW in 2014. Hutchinson, Minn., native Kayla Tronick played three season at Kentucky and was named All-SEC Academic Team as a junior before transferring to The College. Tronick leads the Cougars with 103 blocks this season.
CofC returns to action on Tuesday as UNCW visits Charleston for the final match at TD Arena this season.
For more information on College of Charleston volleyball, visit CofCSports.com or follow the team on Twitter at @CofCVolleyball.
