MACON, Ga. - The Presbyterian College volleyball team had its two-match
winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon by UT-Martin 3-1 (19-25, 21-25,
25-14, 27-29) in the final game of the Bear Brawl.
The Blue Hose now stand at 2-2 on the season.
Lisa Shelley led the way with 21 kills and 13 digs. Presley Mabrey reached
double figures with 17 kills for the match. Kilee Ruppe amassed a double-double
with 45 assists and 15 digs.
Defensively, Ashley Dunlap paced the back line with 22 digs. Elizabeth Heineman
chipped in eight for the contest.
The Blue Hose had more kills, assists and digs than their counterparts, but
committed 12 service errors in the contest while just tallying a mere ace,
coming from the consistent Amanda Kettles. PC hit .188 for the afternoon as
well.
Head coach Chris Belshe's team fell behind 5-2 in the first set, but rallied
back to take a 10-9 lead behind three straight kills from Lisa Shelley. The
teams traded points until PC took a 14-13 lead on one of Mabrey's kills.
UTM reeled off three straight points for a 16-14 lead with two points coming
off PC attack errors. The designated visitors eventually closed out the set
with a 25-19 victory.
It was another tight set in the next one as the teams found themselves tied at
12 after a UTM time-out.
Trailing 20-16, the Blue Hose posted back-to-back points from Shelley to trim
the deficit to just two. However, the team could get no closer in the 25-21
loss.
After some key adjustments during the intermission, Belshe's team came out on
fire in the third frame. The Blue Hose forced the opposition into three
straight errors to start the set. The miscues, combined with a Shelley kill, put
PC ahead 4-0 and forced UTM into a time-out.
Belshe's team jumped out to a 16-7 lead after Shelley had a solo block. The
Blue Hose went on a 4-2 run to widen the lead to 11, 20-9. Three errors on the
last four points gave PC the 25-14 win.
PC lead early in the fourth set, 7-5, off a kills from Kettles. Although UTM
pulled even a few times, the Blue Hose regained the lead at 13-12. Despite playing
a close match, PC was unable to pull off the win in the 29-27 loss.
For their effort, Shelley and Kettles were named to the all-tournament team.
The Blue Hose will try to get back on track Tuesday night at 7 p.m. PC travels
to the College of Charleston in a non-conference contest.
