Phoenix Battle Past St. Francis and Judson

JOLIET, Ill.-- Cumberland women's volleyball picked up a pair of win, battling past Saint Francis (Ill.) and Judson University (Ill.) in four sets to finish the day a perfect 2-0.

Cumberland opened the day by bouncing back from an opening-set loss to defeat Saint Francis in four sets, 23-25, 25-23, 25-10, 25-22.

The Phoenix finished with 49 kills and a .212 hitting percentage while holding the Fighting Saints to a .129 clip. Cumberland made a big difference from the service line, recording 19 aces compared to seven from Saint Francis.

Carola Schnidrig led the Cumberland attack with 13 kills on 29 swings, hitting .310 while adding five service aces and eight digs. Abigail Foster added 10 kills on 18 attacks for a .389 hitting percentage and recorded five block assists. Bianca Guceanu and Sydney Andrews each chipped in seven kills.

Carlee Rogers directed the offense with 28 assists to go along with three kills, eight service aces and nine digs. Emma Chavers added 14 assists and two aces, while Kaleigh Glass led the Phoenix back row with 18 digs.

Saint Francis took a tight opening set, 25-23, before Cumberland responded with a 25-23 win of its own in the second to even the match.

The Phoenix took complete control in the third set. Cumberland put down 10 kills with just two errors on 20 attacks to hit .400 in the frame. The Phoenix rolled to a 25-10 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Saint Francis kept the fourth set close as the Fighting Saints looked to extend the match. Cumberland held off the late push and closed out the match with a 25-22 victory to pick up its first win of the day and improve to 12-11 overall.

Cumberland carried the momentum into the second match, defeating Judson University in four sets, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 26-24, to complete the 2-0 day and improve to 13-11 on the season.

The Phoenix put together another strong offensive performance with 54 kills on 140 attacks for a .243 hitting percentage. Cumberland held Judson to just a .049 hitting percentage as the Eagles finished with 35 kills and 28 attack errors.

Schnidrig again paced the Cumberland attack with 13 kills on 28 swings, hitting .357 while adding two aces and five digs. Hailey Jones followed with 11 kills and a .348 hitting percentage while recording nine total blocks. Rogers filled the stat sheet with 10 kills, 23 assists, nine digs and six total blocks. Andrews and Guceanu each added seven kills.

Glass anchored the back row with a match-high 22 digs, while Lydia Cox added 12. Chavers finished with 13 assists and nine digs, and Foster added four kills and four block assists.

Cumberland came out strong in the opening set, putting down 18 kills to take a 25-17 victory. Judson answered in the second, holding off the Phoenix for a 25-23 win to even the match at one set apiece.

The Phoenix quickly responded in the third. Cumberland recorded 14 kills with only two errors on 28 swings, hitting .429 in the frame on its way to another 25-17 victory and a 2-1 match lead.

Judson battled to stay alive in the fourth as the two sides went back and forth. The Eagles kept the set tight late, but Cumberland was able to finish off the match with a 26-24 victory to complete the four-set win.

The two victories pushed Cumberland to 13-11 overall as the Phoenix finished their trip to Joliet with a perfect 2-0 record.

Cumberland returns to Mid-South Conference play on Tuesday, traveling to Henderson, Tenn., to take on Freed-Hardeman. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

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