BLUEFIELD, Va. - The Bluefield University women's volleyball team defeated WVU Tech in straight sets during a non-conference bout inside the Dome Gymnasium Tuesday evening.
Following the win, BU improves to 2-1 on the season while WVU Tech falls to 0-6
Set 1
Sophomore outside hitter Faith Alsup and senior middle hitter Ella Gawellek combined for four kills early in the first frame to give BU a slight edge, 6-3. Then, after the Golden Bears rallied to take the advantage, junior middle hitter
Paige Bette silenced the run with a kill that knotted the game 12-12. After trading points, the Rams clocked a four-point swing led by junior right side
Scarlett Hulse to own an 18-15 lead. WVU Tech closed the gap as much as one, but Gawellek and freshman outside hitter
Ryann Marsh gave Bluefield a 1-0 lead in the match, 25-23.
Set 2
After falling behind 7-3 early in the second frame, BU rallied for seven-straight and grabbed a 10-7 lead. During the spurt, Hulse led the Rams with a pair of kills with Bette and Gawellek also chipping in. Another short run saw Bluefield swell the lead to five, 14-9. Then, BU locked down 11 of the set's final 16 points to cruise to a 2-0 match lead, 25-16. Hulse had five kills with no errors, while Gawellek (four) and Alsup (three) also notching multiple kills.
Set 3
Both teams fought back-and-forth to open the final game of the evening, with the Rams holding a one-point edge 7-6 early on. Then, a Golden Bears error sparked a 4-0 run led by Marsh, Gawellek, and sophomore defensive specialist
Sienna Vitelli to grow the lead to 11-6. Graduate setter
Izabella Lechuga swung for her first kill of the season amid another spurt as BU held a 14-7 advantage. Bluefield ended the game on a 4-0 run with Gawellek swinging for two kills en route to a 3-0 sweep, 25-17.
Match Stats
Hulse and Gawellek each shared a game-high 15 kills, swinging .481 and .285, respectively. Alsup also finished the contest with double-digit kills (11) and nine digs. Lechuga led all players with 22 assists and notched a double-double with 14 digs. Sophomore setter
Kylee Sturgill chipped in 15 assists and Vitelli had 10 assists with 12 digs for her first career double-double.
The Rams return to the court Thursday at 5:00 p.m. inside the Dome, hosting Carolina in a non-conference contest.
