LAKELAND, Fla. - - A pair of straight set losses capped the southern trip to Florida for the Wilmington University volleyball, falling to West Texas A&M and Catawba in the Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern.
Set scores for the match against West Texas A&M were 25-22, 25-19, and 25-12.
Set scores for the match against Catawba were 25-5, 25-17, and 25-14.
Match vs. West Texas A&M:
Facing off against a team that received votes in the preseason AVCA National Poll, the Wildcats out-blocked their opponent for the third straight match, 7-4.5, but only hit .039 for the match. They only collected 20 kills with 16 errors, as compared to West Texas A&M's 50 kills and 19 errors. The Wildcats were out-dug, 62-45, in the match.
Mandy Behiels led the Wildcats with nine kills while collecting eight digs in the match. Emma Kongevold picked up four kills without committing an error on eight swings. Freshman Angel Oliver led the team with five block assists while senior libero Jenna Brown collected 14 digs in the match. Jill Braunsberg dished out a team high 10 assists to go with 12 digs for the double-double.
Match vs. Catawba:
In the nightcap, the Wildcats hit negative for the match with 19 kills and 20 errors, but again were not out-matched at the net. The Wildcats collected four solo blocks and four block assists for six total blocks, matching Catawba's 10 block assists and one solo block for six total blocks.
The service game helped Catawba over the Wildcats, as they put down 11 service aces while hitting .312 with only nine errors.
Rebecca Rawlinson led the office with five kills in the nightcap, adding three solo blocks and two block assists. Bailey Andrews put down four kills while Mandy Behiels added three terminations. Miranda Shaw dished out 10 assists while Jenna Brown led the back row with 15 digs.
Emma Kongevold had the fourth solo block for the Wildcats while Brittany Atkins chipped in with the final two block assists.
Up Next:
The Wildcats return north and begin Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play with their next match. They remain on the road for one final contest, heading to Chestnut Hill on Wednesday to start the CACC slate. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m.