Volleyball stages furious rally, snaps skid against Point

WEST POINT, Ga. - After six straight losses and five match points on Saturday, enough was enough for the Union volleyball team.

Raquel Kessler blasted the final two of her game-high 22 kills and Union stormed back from a two-set deficit to defeat Point (Ga.) 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 20-18 in a five-set marathon Saturday.

Kessler, who had seven kills in the final set and also led all players with 20 digs, put Union ahead 19-18 off an assist from Jordan Kusan, then finally delivered the decisive blow unassisted on the match's final point, the third of Union's match points in the finale.

But it was only fitting that Union had to grind out the final point. Not only did the Skyhawks have two match points of their own in the fifth set, they appeared to be in prime position to cruise to victory after winning the first two sets.

But the Bulldogs raced out to a 7-2 lead in the third, then managed to put together a 10-1 run after the Skyhawks had rallied to take the lead, eventually ending things on a kill by Emily Shumaker.

A fast start and strong Kessler finish were also key components in set four, as the Bulldogs held a 7-2 lead early and stayed in control the rest of the way, ending things on a kill by Kessler.

Union also benefitted from one of its best passing days of the season, with Kaelyn Faul (31) and Jordan Kusan (29) combining for 50 assists.

Shumaker and Alison Smith had double-digit kills as well, recording 15 and 14 respectively.

"We finally woke up the fight and focus in our team this morning," Union coach Jeremy Wise said. "We learned lots about our (team) today so hopefully the focus and fight will show up the rest of our season now."

Saturday marked the second time the Bulldogs have won a match after dropping the first two sets, also doing so against Florida College on Aug. 20. The win also brought an end to the program's longest Appalachian Athletic Conference losing streak since an eight-game skid in 2008.

Union (9-13, 5-9) will look to string together consecutive wins on Tuesday, when it hosts Tennessee Wesleyan, a program the Bulldogs have never lost to, at 6:30 p.m.