WISE – The UVA Wise volleyball program is limited to one final match left in the 2023 season after a three-set loss to Wingate Thursday night. The Cavs fell to the Bulldogs, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23.
It was a trio of 5-0 runs from the Bulldogs that contributed to two of their three set wins on the night.
In the opener, with the score knotted at 4-4, Wingate got two kills from senior outside hitter Lorna Stacherski that contributed to a five point spurt to make it 9-4. Just two points later, after UVA Wise scored twice, it would be Stacherski against getting two kills to go along with three attacking errors from UVA Wise that contributed to another 5-0 run.
From there, the teams would essentially trade points back and forth, resulting in a first-set win for the Bulldogs, 25-19.
Stacherski had five of her match-high 12 kills in the first set.
The Cavs were much better in the opening points of the second frame, going back and forth with Wingate until a kill from junior outside hitter Morgan Blevins made it 5-4.
From there, Wingate outscored UVA Wise 18-10 and looked like it was going to firmly take the second set as the Bulldogs were in control 23-14.
Instead, UVA Wise scored six of the next seven points to remain in the fight, 24-20.
A kill from redshirt freshman middle blocker Sydney Morland would be too much for the Cavs to handle to do UVA Wise in for the second set.
With their backs against the wall, the Cavs still came out with swagger and energy for the third set.
After being down 7-6, UVA Wise responded with a 6-2 run to take a four-point lead 12-8.
The two teams would eventually find themselves tied at 16 a piece and struggled to distance themselves from each other from there. They would trade eight straight points back and forth before kills from junior middle blocker Dannah Persinger and junior outside hitter Kaylee Scarce, along with an attacking error from Wingate, lifted the Cavs to a three-point lead, 23-20.
Then, Wingate struck its third and final 5-0 run. Three attacking errors from the Cavs and two more Bulldog kills ended the third set and match, 25-23.
UVA Wise was led on offense by sophomore outside hitter Morgan Blankenship who tallied 11 kills on only 24 swings. Her zero errors to go along with those numbers resulted in a .458 hitting percentage.
That's a career-best number for a single match for Blankenship (min. 10 attempts) and her 11 kills marks the eighth time this year she's had 10 or more kills in a match.
Scarce also added 11 kills for UVA Wise to go along with nine digs, while freshman right side hitter Serina Petersen had another fantastic night with eight kills on 14 attempts and no errors for a .571 hitting percentage. Petersen added three blocks on defense.
A .571 hitting percentage ties a career-best in a single match for Petersen. To make matters better, both occurrences came against two of the best teams in the SAC. The first was against Lenoir-Rhyne (3rd place) on Oct. 14 while Thursday night's outing came against first-place Wingate.
The Bulldogs with the win, improve to 24-2 (16-1 SAC) on the year and extend their winning streak to 15 consecutive matches. They will finish the season on the road against Emory & Henry.
For UVA Wise, the loss knocks them down to 9-16 (2-15 SAC) as the Cavs gear up for a showdown with Catawba on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. The lone senior on the Cavalier roster, Cassidy Farley, will be honored before first serve.
