WISE, Va. -- The UVA Wise volleyball squad continues to improve as the season advances. The latest evidence came Saturday as the Cavaliers swept past two tough Appalachian Athletic Conference foes in Greear Gymnasium.
After losing a hard-fought match to Bryan College Friday, UVA Wise stormed back Saturday with a 31-29, 30-8, 30-13 win over Tennessee Wesleyan in the first match of a morning-night doubleheader.
In last game of the match, freshman Kendall Rainey of Glade Spring set a school record with 16 consecutive serves. Rainey's streak sparked the Cavaliers to an early 16-0 lead. In addition, Rainey recorded 16 aces and nine digs in the match.
Freshman Jayme Elliott of Danville had 27 hits, 10 aces and 18 digs in the win over Tennessee Wesleyan. Sophomore Candida Robinson of Swords Creek tallied 11 aces and 18 digs for the Cavaliers.
Despite playing a tough match earlier in the day -- the match with Tennessee Wesleyan began at 11 a.m. -- the Cavaliers showed no signs a fatigue in their evening match with Covenant College.
UVA Wise, behind 24 hits, 13 aces and 26 digs from Robinson, swept three straight games from Covenant, 30-18, 30-24, 30-23. Freshman Kari Sparks of Gate City recorded 15 digs in the victory.
The Cavaliers began the weekend series on a sour note before rebounding Saturday. That night, Bryan College defeated UVA Wise in three games, 24-30, 13-30, 24-30.
The two weekend wins improved the Cavaliers' record to 8-10 overall and 6-6 in the AAC. UVa-Wise wraps up a long home stretch Tuesday, Oct. 16, as Milligan College visits Wise for a 6:30 p.m. start. The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 17.
