West Palm Beach, Fla.-- Cumberland volleyball splits day one of the Viper Sports Academy Classic with a win over William Carey and loss to No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan.
vs. William Carey
Cumberland started the 2023 campaign on a high note, earning a 3-1 victory over William Carey. Hazel Konkel led CU's offense with ten kills, followed by freshman Haley Mitchell with nine.
Lauren Galvan checked into the game and picked up seven kills and six aces.
The Crusaders were led by Barbara Guedes with ten kills and libero Kacey Lear with 24 digs.
The Phoenix faced an early uphill battle as William Carey went on a 7-1 run to start, forcing CU to burn a timeout. The break would prove to be effective as the Phoenix went on a six point run of their own to tie up the match 9-9.
From there, it was a tight race to 25. William Carey went on another run with a string of five points, but the Phoenix answered right back by tightening their offense and tying it up at 20-20. The teams traded errors through the final few points but it would be CU who came out on top with an ace from Sydney Pearce.
The Phoenix carried their momentum straight into set two with a 6-0 run, during which Konkel picked up a trio of kills. Cumberland kicked it out to a ten point lead at 14-4, but were interrupted by a seven point run by the Crusaders to cut the deficit down to three. CU was able to hold off William Carey for the remainder of the set, keeping them at a distance of at least three points and claiming a dominant 25-15 victory.
The Crusaders went on a huge eight point run in set three to take a 15-9 lead, forcing the Phoenix to play catchup for the rest of the set. Galvan hit a sharp shot from the outside to bring the set within two points, igniting some fire in the Phoenix and making it a tightly contested set to the end. An error at Cumberland's net and a kill from the Crusaders' side gave Willam Carey their first set of the game 25-22.
Cumberland made the first break in scoring with a five point run to begin set four. The Phoenix struggled at the net early on in the set but were kept alive by clean defense and four aces. CU stayed ahead through the set and a slide approach swing from Konkel ended it at 25-17.
vs. No.13 Dakota Wesleyan
Cumberland fell short in three sets to No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan to close out day one of the three-day tournament.
Hazel Konkel and Haley Mitchell each contributed six kills in the effort, while Morgan Snead and Kaleigh Glass added eight digs apiece.
Ady Dwight led the Tigers with 14 kills on an impressive .385 attack percentage. Libero Tya Weideman picked up 17 digs.
Cumberland struggled offensively in set one, posting their lowest outing of the day with a -.051 attack percentage. The teams traded serves down the stretch with neither side making a significant break until a 8-2 run from the Tigers gave them a 23-17 edge. Dakota Wesleyan finished off the set with a kill from Elizabeth Tyler.
The Tigers came out swinging in set two with a 13-1 run during which they put away eight swings. Konkel broke Cumberland's long scoring drought with a tool from the middle, a catalyst for a five point run to cut the lead in half. The Phoenix improved at the net but were unable to recover their early disadvantage, dropping the set 25-15.
The Tigers rattled off seven straight to start the third and protected that lead through the entire set. The Tigers played nearly perfect at the net with eleven team kills and only two errors. Despite finding some late-set energy, the Phoenix ultimately dropped the set 25-16.
The Phoenix will be back in action tomorrow evening, starting with a 4:00 PM match against St. Thomas University. They will have another quick turnaround for a 6:00 PM match versus Rust College.
