MEMPHIS, Tenn: The Golden Eagles looked forward to an early morning contest against the Southern Baptist Bobcats but were thwarted after a long 5 set contest.
MATCH 1:
JUST THE BASICS:
Score: Opponent 3 Charleston
Location: Canale Arena
Team Records: Charleston (2-1, 0-0 MEC) Sothern Baptist (3-0, 0-0 GLVC)
The very first set of the first match of the day at Canale Arena proved to be one of the most exciting of the day. The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead, winning by as 8 points. However, the Golden Eagles would not go down without a fight and would find their way back in the set after bringing the score to within two. However, they were unable to overcome the deficit and lost the first set 25-20.
With the comeback momentum from the first set firmly in the grasp of the Golden Eagles, Charleston would take an early lead in the second set and never look back. The girls fended off numerous attempts to take back the lead by the Bobcats and finished with three straight points to close it out. The scoring ended with the Golden Eagles ahead 25-23.
The third set was much of the same for the Golden Eagles. An early back and forth exchange of points and ultimately the Golden Eagles gaining some momentum from a kill by Beyonce Andrews that would start a 4-point swing that ultimately prove to be all the Golden Eagles needed to best the Bobcats in this set. The final score was 25-18 with the final point coming via attack error from the Bobcats.
The fourth set of the match would prove to be the most exciting of the day. The action went back and forth all the way until the end with neither team able to gain an advantage for more than a few points. With just one set needed to take the match, the Golden Eagles looked to finish the Bobcats. The Bobcats would not go down without a fight and surged past the Golden Eagles thanks to back-to-back kills by Ashley Lasher. The Bobcats forced a deciding fifth set winning by a score of 28-26 in the fourth.
In the fifth and final set of the match the Golden Eagles were outlasted by a score of 15-10. The shorter fifth set seemed to light a fire under the Bobcats as the girls came out and took a commanding lead that the Golden Eagles were never able to overcome. The exciting match ended with the Golden Eagles being defeated after a well fought battle against the toughest opponent of the year and their first true test of the regular season.
Some notable for Charleston: Sage Bearnson, who collected 15 kills, Maria Hernandez, who had 41 assists and 30 digs. Beyonce Andrews also stepped up in key moments in the match with 11 kills of her own.
MATCH 2:
JUST THE BASICS
Score: Charleston 3 Southern Arkansas 0
Location: Canale Arena
Team Records: Charleston (3-1, 0-0 MEC) Southern Arkansas (0-3, 0-0)
Charleston looked to bounce back from a long match with Southern Baptist earlier in the day and to close their tournament in Memphis above .500.
The Golden Eagles were still licking their wounds from their first defeat of the year earlier in the day at the hands of Southern Baptist. However, Charleston came out looking for revenge in the first set against Southern Arkansas. The first set ended with a score of 25-21 with Charleston handling the ball better and making fewer mistakes en route to the victory.
Second set was much of the same for Charleston as they were forced into tough second set. The Mulerider attack was not enough to break through Charleston's defense on this day. Leading the way to victory was Sage Bearnson who collected 2 aces within this set.
Final set ended the weekend tournament for the Golden Eagles, and they would be very pleased with the result. Charleston took the lead from the Muleriders of Sothern Arkansas and never looked back. They closed out their tournament with a decisive 25-15 victory.
The final match of the day was dominated by Charleston as they would go on to only lose the lead 5 times in the final match over three sets. McKenzie Damon led the way on defense with 13 digs, followed closely by Maria Hernandez who accounted for 9 digs and 21 assists. Madison Jackson also collected 11 digs. Sage Bearnson led the Golden Eagles in kills for the second straight match with 8.
UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles will head back to Charleston to host the UC invitational at the Werhle Innovation Center. They take on Winston-Salem State University at 12 pm on September 10.
