“Checkmate”–Volleyball defeats Battling Bishops

After dropping only their second game of the season to Eastern University, the CNU Volleyball team came into Thursday’s match against North Carolina Wesleyan College very focused and full of energy. In front of fans and parents alike at the Freeman Center, the Captains defeated the Battling Bishops 3-0.

Senior middleback Caitlyn Jansen set the tone very early for the Captains by delivering a punishing spike to give them the first point of the game. The rest of the team followed by providing great passes, as well as continuing to communicate with each other during the game. The Captains showed a great deal of discipline, even when the game was tied at six.

The Captains managed to take a 13-10 lead, by capitalizing on NC Wesleyan’s mistakes. On a game changing play, sophomore defensive specialist Abby Hogge made an unbelievable athletic move by saving a ball going out of bounds, which consequently lead to a devastating kill by sophomore outside hitter Cory Harris.

“Our goal is to play our game to the best of our ability. I do my part my working on finding holes in the defense and remaining focused one game at a time,” said Harris.

The Captains ended the first game with an effective service ace by junior right side hitter Chelsea McClure, as CNU took it 25-18.

The second game started with a little bit of difficulty for the Captains, as NC Wesleyan started off with a 4-0 lead. Harris and McClure provided a huge spark of energy and offense for the Captains, as the game became very back and forth, with each team trading kills, spikes and great defensive efforts.

When her team needed her the most, sophomore outside hitter Kara Elder came through in a huge way. Elder showed fantastic serving ability and placement throughout this game. With the combined efforts of Elder, Harris and back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter Nellie Gaca, the Captains busted open a huge lead and closed the game on a 10-5 run, giving CNU the advantage in game two 25-15.

The third game of this match up the Captains showed great defense. McClure, Harris and Elder provided steel force, which simply stopped the offense for North Carolina Wesleyan from managing any points. Hogge leads the team with save after save and provided timely lobs for earth shattering kills by Elder and Harris.
Sophomore right side hitter Christie Fellows got in on the action as well with two kills of her own. As the game continued, Harris took over offensively.

During an exchange between the two teams, Harris gave a spike that sent a message of domination. Hogge was pleased with the effort by Harris and her team.

“We did a lot of things well. Especially the little things. We are hustled and played as a unit tonight. We will continue to stay strong mentally and look forward to the next game,” said Hogge.

CNU took care of business as they finished game three by a score of 25-10. CNU took the match three games to none, handing the Bishops their ninth loss of the season. Sophomore middle blocker Bailey Jensen was very proud of her teammates saying, “We always focus on our goals as a team. We work on everything we can control and we want to give our all 24/7.”

After the win, Head Coach Lindsay Birch was very optimistic about the Captains saying, “We got better today, it was a great rebound game for us. Harris, Elder and McClure all had great games and the team as a whole showed extra effort tonight.”

The Captains traveled to N.C. this past weekend to continue their winning ways as they defeated Peace College and Meredith College, both 3-0.

This weekend, the Captains close out their season at the Freeman Center against Ferrum College at 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by Averett University at 5 p.m. The USA South Conference Championships begin next week.