Charleston, W.Va. – The Golden Eagles men's volleyball squad defeated Erskine University 3-0 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 8-0 on the season.
 
The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center
Score: UC  3, Erskine 0
Records: UC 8-0 (0-0 EIVA), Erskine 3-5
 
How it Happened:
Saturday afternoon the Golden Eagles faced off with the Flying Fleet of Erskine for a non-conference Men's Volleyball contest. In set one, Charleston jumped out to an early 7-2 lead over the Flying Fleet. Erskine was forced to take a timeout and following the break they sided out after a UC service error. Erskine used the momentum and fought back taking the score within one, down 9-10 as Head Coach Reynolds called a Charleston timeout. The teams traded points back and forth for a bit until UC finally began to pull away. A few kills and a service ace from Garret Schnitker gave Charleston the push they needed, taking a four-point lead, 19-15. Erskine picked up a pair of kills but those would be their final two points of the set as Charleston took set one 25-17 over the Flying Fleet. Charleston had twelve kills along with five service aces in the first set victory.
 
The Golden Eagles jumped out 3-0 ahead of Erskine in set two, but the Flying Fleet kept the score within reach for the first half of the set. Charleston began to pull away at 14-10, extending the lead to 18-11 after several Golden Eagle kills. Charleston continued to run away with the set, eventually winning set two 25-15. The Golden Eagles hit .577% in the set with fifteen kills in twenty-six attempts without committing an error.
 
Set three started the same as set two, with Charleston jumping out with a 3-0 lead over Erskine. The Golden Eagles went on to extend their lead by 5, making the set 8-3. The next several points were traded back and forth with both sides collecting kills. At 14-9 UC, Charleston went on a three-point run, extending their lead even further, 17-9. While Charleston had an extensive lead at this point, Erskine kept battling and eventually forced a few UC errors. The Flying Fleet fought back and brought the set to 16-21, but their efforts wouldn't be enough as Charleston crossed the finish line 25-19.
 
Charleston out-hit the Flying Fleet .407% to .153% with 45 kills compared to their 29. The Golden Eagles also collected 10 aces in the set, 5 of which belonged to Will Kimenhour. Diego Villafane collected 37 assists while Garret Schnitker lead the offense with 15 kills.
 
Up Next:
Charleston travels to Alderson Broaddus on Tuesday for a 5pm first serve with the Battlers.