BREVARD, N.C. - A day after setting the program record for most South Atlantic Conference wins in a season, the Brevard College volleyball team was unable to recreate the magic in a three-set loss to Newberry inside Boshamer Gymnasium.
The Wolves' (9-14, 5-12 SAC) block stymied Brevard's (10-14, 7-11 SAC) offense, notching 8.0 team stuffs on the evening. Madison Darby-McClure had a solo effort and four assisted blocks, while Samantha De Jong, who led Newberry with eight kills, had five assisted blocks to round out her evening.
Brevard was limited to a -.014 attack percentage on a night that saw the Tornados commit 29 errors while accumulating 27 kills. It marked the first time Brevard was held to a negative attack percentage since an October 2012 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne.
Libero Aleksandra Vrvilo was impressive in defeat, accumulating 27 digs in the three-set affair. She has 108 digs in three matches this week alone, averaging 9.0 per set after a 47-dig performance on Tuesday against Lenoir-Rhyne that is tied for the fifth-most digs in a single match in South Atlantic Conference history.
Vrvilo is 54 digs shy of breaking her own single-season Brevard record set last season. Her current mark of 5.89 digs per set in 2015 is on pace to break her school record of 5.55 from her standout 2014 campaign.
Erin Barr notched a match-high 23 assists for the Tornados and is closing in on a record of her own. She needs 58 more assists to break her own single-season record of 904 set during the 2014 season. Barr also finished second on the team with 14 digs and was one of four Tornados to reach double figures.
Newberry raced out to an early lead in the match on the strength of a dominant first-set performance. The Wolves' lead reached 10-2 in the early stages and Brevard was never truly competitive, hitting -.128 in the frame while Newberry accumulated 11 kills against just three errors.
The Tornados cut Newerry's second-set lead to a single point at 11-10 on an attack error and tied the score on a Kindle Kirkham ace, but the Wolves responded by scoring nine of the next 12 points. Newberry saw its lead dwindle to just two points and called timeout leading 22-20, but closed the set on a 3-1 run to go up 2-0 in the match.
Brevard showed its mettle in the third set, battling back from an 11-3 deficit early on to pull within two points on an Erin Barr kill that made the score 21-19. The Wolves jumped back out in front before two consecutive points made the score 24-22. Newberry's Mary Siebert buried a kill on the longest rally of the night, however, dashing Brevard's hopes of extending the match past three sets.
The Tornados next take to the court next Friday, when the team opens a two-game road swing in conference play at Mars Hill and Tusculum. First serve between the Tornados and Lions is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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Featured image courtesy of Neil Hayes. Click here to view more photos by Neil.
