BARBOURVILLE, Ky. -Â The Bluefield University women's volleyball team dropped a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference road matches over the weekend, falling to Johnson University in straight sets Friday before battling Union Commonwealth University to a five-set decision Saturday.
Game One: Johnson 3, Bluefield 0
Johnson jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, eventually taking the frame 25-16. The Rams battled throughout the second set, but the Royals again held off Bluefield, 25-22, to take a 2-0 advantage. Johnson closed out the match with a 25-10 victory in the third set.
Sophomore outside hitter Faith Alsup paced the Rams offensively with nine kills, while senior middle hitter Ella Gawellek added eight kills while hitting .227. Freshman outside hitter Chesed Russell chipped in six kills and freshman middle hitter Ryann Marsh added a pair of service aces.
Game Two: Union Commonwealth 3, Bluefield 2
Bluefield bounced back Saturday and pushed Union Commonwealth to five sets in a back-and-forth contest. The Rams dropped the opening set 25-16 before responding with three consecutive set victories, taking the second 25-11, the third 25-15 and the fourth 27-25 to force a decisive fifth set. The Bulldogs ultimately claimed the final frame, 15-7, to take the match, 3-2.
Alsup led all players with 18 kills while hitting .298 and added 13 digs for a double-double. Russell and Gawellek each finished with 10 kills, while senior outside hitter Morgan Wigg recorded nine kills. Graduate setter Izabella Lechuga directed the Bluefield offense with 41 assists.
Match Stats
Alsup led the Rams across the weekend with 27 combined kills, while Gawellek added 18 and Russell finished with 16. Lechuga totaled 61 assists between the two matches, while sophomore defensive specialist Sienna Vitelli recorded 32 digs. As a team, Bluefield recorded 87 kills, 70 assists and 122 digs across the two matches.
The Rams return to the Dome on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., hosting Milligan University in an AAC matchup.
