Spartans Upended By Camels, 3-2
10/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 27, 2007
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - In a dramatic back-and-forth match, Campbell fought back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the USC Upstate volleyball team in five games (24-30, 30-28, 21-30, 30-24, 15-13) at Carter Gymnasium in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
In the fifth game, Campbell and Upstate battled to a 9-9 tie before Femi Alabi earned a kill after a Spartan dig hit a low support beam in Carter Gymnasium and fell to the floor. The kill sparked a 5-2 Camel run, but Upstate didn't go quietly, fighting off two match points before a block from Brandy Worlton and Bendy ended the match.
Sophomore Jesicah Ambrisco (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina Catholic) led the Spartans with 17 kills, four digs and two blocks and junior Jovana Lubura (Beograd, Serbia/New Mexico Military Institute) added 15 kills and eight digs. Freshman Sandra Campbell (Orlando, Fla./Pilot Point (Texas)) posted 13 kills and a career-high six blocks and sophomore Katie Downey (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) added 11 kills, two aces, and five blocks. Sophomore Morgan Bucciferro (Joliet, Ill./Minooka Community) added 27 assists and six digs and junior Holly Mauldin (Columbia, S.C./Irmo) posted 23 assists and seven digs. Freshman Megan Healey (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy) added a team-high 20 digs and junior Tijana Knezivic (Indija, Serbia/New Mexico Military Institute) posted three kills, four aces, eight digs and three blocks.
The Camels came out hot in the first game, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but the Spartans responded to tie the score at five. From there, the Camels and Spartans battled back and forth, with neither team taking more than a two-point lead until it was tied at 24. Consecutive kills from Downey and a surprise attack from setter Mauldin led the Spartans on the 6-0 run to close the game. Lubura added two more kills during the stretch for Upstate.
Campbell, Ambrisco and Lubura each posted four kills each in the game and Mauldin added eight assists. Healey posted six digs in the game.
The Spartans dropped a heartbreaker, 30-28, in the second game, as the Camels came back from a 26-24 deficit to take the game. The Camels took an 18-14 lead in the game, but one of Downey's four kills in the game sparked an 11-6 run for the Spartans that saw three kills from Ambrisco. However, the Camels turned the tide on a kill from Caitlin Bendy. A service ace from Elizabeth Ennis tied the match and after splitting the next two points, two Spartan attack errors in the next three points clinched the game for Campbell. Campbell and Ambrisco each posted five kills in the game and Leslie added six digs in the game.
After the intermission, Upstate and Campbell fought to a 10-10 tie to start the third game, but three straight Campbell attack errors sparked a 15-7 Spartan run. Lubura posted six kills in the game and hit .556 to lead the Spartans to the 30-21 win, as the team was aided by nine Camel attack errors. Healey added six digs.
With the fourth game at 21, Campbell's preseason All-Conference selection Alabi took over posting four kills in a 5-0 Camel run, leading the Camels to a 30-24 win. Alabi posted seven kills and hit .667 in the game to lead the Camels, who hit .350. Ambrisco led the Spartans with four kills and Sandra Campbell added four blocks.
Alabi posted a match-high 19 kills and and Melissa Harvey posted a match-high 22 digs to lead the Camels. Bendy added 13 kills and seven blocks and Elisabeth Ennis posted a double-double with 52 assists and 13 digs.
Upstate heads back home for a season-ending four-game homestand at the Hodge Center, starting with a 6 p.m. non-conference game with Savannah State on Tuesday.
