Box Score LORETTO, PA - The University of Charleston Golden Eagles cruised to their second win of the weekend, defeating the Red Flash from Saint Francis in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Degol Arena. Charleston was led by Maarten Bartels and Arthur Sueur, who recorded 13 and ten kills respectively.
JUST THE BASICS
SCORE: Charleston: 3 Saint Francis: 0
LOCATION: LORETTO, PA - Degol Arena
TEAM RECORDS: Charleston (2-2, 2-2 EIVA) Saint Francis (1-10, 0-4 EIVA)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start out the gate and took and early 13-9 lead in the first set which included seven combined kills between Ismael Sneed, Bartels, and Andrew Klein. Much different from a night ago, Charleston was able to substantially improve their hitting percentage, finishing the first set hitting at an astonishing .407% from the floor.
In the first set, Charleston had 14 kills and 12 assists with four kills each from Klein, Bartles, and Sneed. Diego Villafane finished the set with 10 assists while Will Kimenhour led the charge with two blocks.
The second half went a little more back-and-forth than the first, with the score tied 11-11 at the almost halfway point of the set. After hitting the ball very well in the first, Charleston struggled in the second (-.222) at the halfway mark despite leading 12-11 when the Red Flash called a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Charleston quickly turned their negative hitting percentage into a positive one (.062%), as the Golden Eagles led 18-16 and forced another Saint Francis timeout. Out of the timeout, Charleston surged to take the second set 25-22. Despite recording nine service errors compared to four from the Red Flash, the Golden Eagles were able to come out on top and take a quick 2-0 lead.
After the second set, Bartles led Charleston with seven kills, Villafane increased his assist total to 20, and Kimenhour recorded his fourth block of the match.
The third set was much like the second, as the teams were once again tied 11-11 with back-and-forth play continuing to be the name of the game. Despite looking like Saint Francis was going to run away with the set, Charleston was able to cut their third set deficit down to just one, trailing 23-22. After two straight points, Charleston was able to tie the set at 23-23 before the Red Flash called a timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Golden Eagles were able to score two quick points to take the final set 25-23. After winning their first EIVA road game in nearly three years just a night ago, Charleston once again prevailed in order to bring their record to 2-2 on the season.
UP NEXT
The Golden Eagles return to action on Friday, February 19th, as they take on the Highlanders from New Jersey Institute of Technology with match time set for 7:00 PM at the Wehrle Innovation Center.
