WINGATE, N.C. - The Brevard College Tornados Volleyball team (3-12, 3-6 SAC) dropped a pair of regional matchups Saturday afternoon to the No. 25 Wingate Bulldogs (17-0, 9-0 SAC) and No. 5 Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals.
Brevard opened the day with a noon showdown with conference powerhouse Wingate, falling in straight sets to the Bulldogs.
In the second contest of the afternoon the Tornados faced off against one of the top teams in the country as the Cardinals of Wheeling Jesuit rolled over BC in straight sets, 3-0.
The Tornados will look to get back on track and pick up a pair of conference victories this coming weekend as they host Carson Newman, October 7 and Lincoln Memorial, October 8.
Wingate 3, Brevard 0
Juniors Hannah Elmore (Salisbury, N.C.) and Rachel Ruble (Advance, N.C.) led the Tornados with eight kills apiece, while freshman Callie Chappell (Rosman, N.C.) added six kills of her own.
Junior setter Erin Barr (Hamptonville, N.C.) finished the contest with a game-high 26 assists, adding eight digs and one block assist. While, senior Aleksandra Vrvilo (Beaverton, Ore.) led the team with 16 digs, as Ruble, Savannah Cox (Kannapolis, N.C.) and Stephanie Lambert (Florence, Ky.) finished with two blocking assists apiece.
Wingate jumped out early on the Tornados in the opening frame, leading by as much as eight points, as Brevard battled back down 20-12 to coming within five of the Bulldogs at 22-17, before two kills by Taylor Williams and an attack error by Elmore earned Wingate a 25-17 set point.
The second frame would be all Bulldogs as the conference front-runner opened a 20-12 lead, closing out the point on a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 lead into the third set.
Brevard put up their best battle in set three, playing the Bulldogs point-for-point and evening the set at 23-23, however, back-to-back kills by Abby Saehler ended the early afternoon contest.
Wheeling Jesuit 3, Brevard 0
In the final matchup of the afternoon, Wheeling Jesuit would take advantage of an early first set hitting percentage of .619, recording just one error in the opening frame to earn a 25-12 set point.
The final two frames of the afternoon would be all Cardinals, as a second set 25-12 win and a 25-10 third frame triumph gave Wheeling Jesuit a 3-0 final decision.
Chappell finished the final contest of the day with a team high four kills, while Cox, Barr, Elmore and Ruble each finished with three kills apiece.
Barr would record 13 assists in the event, while Elmore and Vrvilo tied with a team high seven digs. Additionally, Cox and Lambert recorded two blocking assists apiece, while Elmore and Ruble also added block assists.
