WILMINGTON, North Carolina - The UNCW volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-17) victory over South Carolina State in its morning match at the UNCW Courtyard by Marriott Tournament Saturday at Hanover Hall. The Seahawks were unable to complete the sweep of its matches as it fell to in-state rival UNCG, 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19) in the nightcap.
The host Seahawks moved to 2-4 on the season with the split of the matches. UCF took home the tournament title as it posted a 3-0 record to move to 6-0 on the season. UNCG finished with a 2-1 record to move to 7-1 overall while South Carolina State was 0-3 on the weekend as it dropped to 1-6.
Against SC State, senior outside hitter Kelli Clear posted a team-high 10 kills to guide a UNCW attack that teamed up to record 33 kills and post a .186 hitting percentage for the match, highlighted by a .321 attack clip in the decisive game.
Junior middle blocker Kimberly Friedl added seven kills without an error in 10 total attempts for a .700 hitting percentage while junior middle blocker Emily Mohrman pitched in six kills with just one error in 14 tries for a .357 attack clip. Junior setter Kelsey Bendig quarterbacked the attack as she dished out a match-best 22 assists.
Clear and Mohrman highlighted a Seahawks defensive effort that limited the Bulldogs to a (.011) hitting percentage for the match as they recorded five total blocks apiece. Junior defensive specialist Delanie Dolan recorded a team-high nine digs and Clear chipped in eight.
Senior outside hitter Jarne Gleaton recorded a match-best 12 kills for South Carolina State as she accounted for nearly half of the team's 26 kills in the match. Sophomore rightside hitter Melissa Robinson posted a match-best 10 digs and junior setter Bria Brimmer dished out 18 assists.
Versus UNCG, senior middle blocker Kayren Finney posted a match-best 10 kills and hit .381 to pace a Spartan attack that combined for 43 kills and recorded a .255 attack percentage for the match. Finney also tallied a match-best six total blocks, including one solo rejection, to highlight the team's effort at the net.
Sophomore middle blocker Olivia Humphries added nine kills and finished with just three errors in 13 attempts for a .462 attack percentage while senior outside hitter Billi Baker posted eight kills and turned a .312 attack percentage. Sophomore setter Ari Lysacek posted a double-double with team-highs of 16 assists and 14 digs while Baker and junior outside hitter Ariel Newman added 10 digs apiece.
Clear, who was named to the all-tournament team, posted team-high eight kills for UNCW while Mohrman added six and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Mallard chipped in five. Bendig posted her second double-double of the season as she dished out a match-best 23 assists and added a team-high 10 digs. Friedl finished with four kills and posted four total blocks, including one solo rejection.
UNCW returns to the court Tuesday as it travels to Charleston Southern for a 6 p.m. match against the Buccaneers.
Courtyard by Marriott Tournament results
UNCG 3, South Carolina State 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-17)
UCF 3, UNCW 0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-17)
UNCW 3, SCSU 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-17)
UCF 3, UNCG 2 (10-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-12)
UCF 3, SCSU 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-18)
UNCG 3, UNCW 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19)
Courtyard by Marriott Tournament All-Tournament Team
Bria Brimmer, South Carolina State
Kelli Clear, UNCW
Kayren Finney, UNCG
Meredith Murphy, UCF
Carley Redden, UNCG
Evija Vilde, UCF
Tournament MVP
Kristin Fisher, UCF
