Volleyball comes up short on day one of Vette City Classic

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2022) – The Point University volleyball team opened its 2022 season on Friday at the Vette City Classic and dropped a pair of matches to McPherson and IU Southeast. The Skyhawks lost 3-0 in both games.

McPherson 3, Point 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-13)

Three Bulldog errors helped Point take an early 3-2 lead, but that was the only lead the Skyhawks held in the opening set, as McPherson bounced back and scored the following eight points to take the lead 10-3. The Skyhawks followed with a 4-0 run, starting with a kill from senior Sarah Baucham, followed by back-to-back service aces from Paige Lowe, and concluded with a kill from Keylany Matos, but the Bulldogs went on to extend their lead out by eight and Point was unable to bounce back.

Bulldog errors once again helped Point to an early lead in set two, and both teams would go back-and-forth with the score tied at nine before the Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run to take the lead 18-10. Point answered by scoring the following four points, but McPherson would close the game out on a 7-3 run.

McPherson went right to work in the third set, scoring the first five points and quickly extending their lead out by 10 (15-5). The Bulldogs held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest to sweep the Skyhawks.

Jordan Palmer and Whitney Ward led Point with 15 and nine digs, respectively. Lowe recorded nine assists, and Baucham led the team with three kills.

IU Southeast 3, Point 0 (25-15, 25-19, 28-26)

Fresh off a three-set victory over Appalachian Athletic Conference member Tennessee Wesleyan, IU Southeast scored the first two points of the match and never allowed the Skyhawks in the lead. The Skyhawks kept things close, as they trailed by one (8-7) before the Grenadiers went on a 9-1 run, and Point could not bounce back.

In the second set, IU Southeast took a 5-3 lead before back-to-back attack errors followed by a kill from Sameily Marquez helped Point to a 6-5 lead. Both teams would go back and forth with the score tied at 15 before an 8-2 run from the Grenadiers would help them to victory.

The final set went past the end of regulation as Point attempted a late match comeback. The Grenadiers led 21-16 before a kill from Mackenzie Littrell would spark a 6-2 run for the Skyhawks, making the score 23-22 (IU Southeast). The Grenadiers extended their lead to two before a kill from Matos, and an error from IU Southeast would tie the set at 24. The Skyhawks would tie the set two more times, with a kill from Lowe to tie the set at 25 and a kill from Jadakate Judkins to tie the set at 26, but the Grenadiers would earn the final two points of the match to earn the sweep.

Ward led Point's defense with 20 digs and added five assists. Lowe recorded 17 assists and six digs, and Marquez and Judkins led Point at the net with seven and five kills, respectively.

Next, Point will square off with Tennessee Southern at 10 a.m. EST and Lindsey Wilson at 3 p.m. EST to close out the Vette City Classic.